


Faith and Trust: Better than Pixie Dust

by suseagull04



Series: Faith and Trust: Better than Pixie Dust [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Christianity, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2020-01-11 00:44:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 46,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18419327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suseagull04/pseuds/suseagull04
Summary: Regina is starting college at Storybrooke University, where she meets Robin, an international student who teaches her that faith is its own kind of magic.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
Regina got out of her mom’s car, looking around at all the freshmen moving into their new dorms, excited chatter conveying their exuberance to experience this new step in their lives.  
She envied them, the freedom they had- little did they know just how lucky they were. They had the freedom to choose where they wanted to go to school and where they lived. Thanks to her mother and her vision, she didn’t. When discussing college the year before, her mother had made it clear that commuting to Storybrooke University was the only acceptable option. She had, however, allowed Regina to choose her major, so Regina had chosen Spanish. The major would allow her to explore other worlds beyond her own, as well as pay homage to her late father’s heritage. Of course, given that her mother thought it was impractical compared to her dream of having her daughter major in business and be the CEO of her own company, she disapproved.  
Her mother’s overprotectiveness had affected her relationships with peers as well. She had only ever had one close friend, Emma, who she had known since kindergarten. Other than Emma, she had always been a loner, too afraid of her mother’s impossibly high standards to subject anyone else to them. Thankfully Emma was hybrid this year, both taking classes online and at the university a half hour from Storybrooke.  
And guys? Forget it! Thanks to her limited socialization with people her own age, she had never figured out how other girls managed to talk to, let alone date, guys. She never found the words to say, an invisible Great Wall of China separating her from the opposite gender.  
Her mother led her to the rooms for each of her classes and Regina grudgingly followed. While she appreciated the help, at the same time she didn’t understand why her mother had to be with her every second of every day. So afterwards, when it was time for lunch and buying her books for the coming semester, Regina hesitantly suggested, “Mom, why don’t you go save us a seat for lunch while I get my books? We’ll literally be in the same building, I’ll be fine. Plus, you know you take the longest to choose what you want to eat; this’ll give you a chance to take your time.”  
“Are you sure, Regina? I’d really be more comfortable if I went with you.” her mother responded.  
Exasperated, Regina affirmed, “Positive, go ahead.” She gently pushing her mother toward The Rabbit Hole. Not looking back, she hurried down to the bookstore, using her monocular and the sounds of fellow students buying their books to guide her.  
********  
When she arrived, she found a longer line than she had expected. Once she got to the front, her friend Anna, who worked at the bookstore, handed her a large stack of books to supplement her classes.  
Taking the tower of teetering books, Regina carefully walked away from the front toward where she knew the elevator would take her to the hall that connected the two halves of the building.  
“Look out!” an accented voice shouted as she felt something collide with her, toppling the already precarious pile of books and making her follow them in rapid succession, a life-sized illustration of the Domino effect. As she fell, she felt the full-page receipts, which were sticking out from a book on Latin American civilization and culture, graze her hand.  
She caught herself with her hands and knees, feeling both take the full impact of her fall. Examining her hands, she saw mild bruises from her fall as well as the paper cut, which was already beginning to ooze blood.  
“We’re so sorry,” she heard that same beautiful British tenor reassure her adamantly. “Can I give you a hand up?”  
Ever someone who valued every chance to be independent, she rejected his offer, using the hand that wasn’t bleeding to push herself up. She looked up at the source of the collision and saw two boys, one skinny and pale with dark hair, and the other taller and more built, with dark skin and a smile that she instantly knew she’d never be able to resist as she smiled back.  
“Here, let me help you with those,” the taller of the two boys said, bending over with her to collect the books that were now strewn throughout the hall. As they gathered the books, he caught sight of her injured hand. “Oy mate, I can’t believe you caused that!” he exclaimed, glaring at his friend.  
“What can I say, neither of us was paying attention enough to see her.” his companion, who also had a British accent that was sharper than his companion’s, shot back as he shrugged, determined to throw his friend under the bus with him.  
“No, no you weren’t.” an indignant girl, her origin apparent from her New Zealand accent, piped up as a slight girl with wild hair, dark at the roots with highlights on the ends, caught up to them. “And these two are so busy apologizing that they haven’t introduced themselves. I’m Alice Hare, and this,” she playfully nudged the slimmer of the two boys, “is Will Scarlett, and that’s Robin Locksley.” A nod indicated the other boy as he smiled at her once again, leaving her at a loss for words.  
“I’m Regina Mills,” she introduced herself shyly, ducking her head partly from embarrassment and partly so she didn’t get lost in those chocolate eyes again.  
“Let me look at your hand.” Robin insisted, taking her hand in his. Seeing the damage he and Will had caused, he offered, “Let me fix it for you.”  
“No, no, don’t bother, my mother’s waiting for me, I’m sure she’s hysterical by now.” Regina implored. “Plus, how can you fix it? Is your major nursing or something?”  
“Media production actually,” he answered, chuckling, “But I believe it can be done.”  
“Trust him, Regina, it’ll be as good as new after he’s finished.” Alice concurred, supporting her friend as she turned to him. “In the meantime, Robin, Will and I will go ahead to the booth and let the others know you’re coming. We’ll pray on the way.” Grabbing Will by the elbow, she hurried off, calling over her shoulder, “Nice to meet you Regina!”  
Regina wondered what Alice had meant by the prayer comment, but didn’t dare ask, her timidity towards guys taking over. Once Alice and Will disappeared, Regina tried to remove her hand from Robin’s. His hand moved to her elbow and tightened just enough so that she couldn’t escape as he picked up her books, somehow managing to carry under one arm what she had previously struggled to carry in both. He led her back down the hallway and around the corner, where rows of mailboxes were paired with a window for the school’s post office and a table.  
Robin laid her hand on the table, setting her books down as well. Cradling her hand in both of his, he lifted it for further inspection. Nodding to himself, his eyes locked with Regina’s. “Do you believe this can happen?” he asked her.  
For the first time, Regina found herself lost in the dark pools of his eyes. They begged her to trust him, with this and with more that she knew she wasn’t ready for. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, ducking her head to avoid the intensity of his gaze.  
He bowed his head, closing his eyes as his finger skimmed over her bleeding hand.  
Suddenly, a flash of blinding white light shone from the injury. “What was that?!?” she demanded, alarmed.  
Robin grinned, a gleam in his eye as he told her, “Take a look.”  
She did as he asked and gasped. Her hand looked as good as new, all of the blood gone and the cut healed. Her mouth dropped open as her eyes darted back up to look at him. “How…?”  
Robin grinned. “Faith. I’d love to tell you more, but you have to meet up with your mum, right?”  
At his words, Regina snatched up her books, practically sprinting down the hall as Robin easily kept pace with her.  
Running around until he was in front of her, Robin held up his hands, causing her to stop in her tracks. “Please, wait one more minute. If you’re not doing anything tonight, would you like to go to a bonfire? Will, Alice and I are having one with other international students at the beach. I want to explain how I healed your hand. There’ll be s’mores and music if that helps you decide,” he added, winking. “It’ll be fun!”  
Smiling at the thought of music and s’mores, her face fell rapidly as she shook her head, starting to walk again as she replied, “I can’t.” Not only could she not drive herself there, she didn’t dare bring anyone within a 39 and a half-foot pole of her overbearing mother, who would never let her go if she knew there were guys at the bonfire. Even if that wasn’t the case, she wouldn’t let Regina go anywhere with friends unless she had proven to herself that her daughter was safe with them.  
“Why not? If you’d need a ride, don’t worry about that, we’ll pick you up!” His earnest voice filled the elevator he had followed her into.  
Her head shot up to look at him. “Really?” she whispered. No one had ever offered to give her a ride before. She was so used to asking, which became exhausting after awhile, making his offer tempting. Maybe she could tell her mom she was staying at Emma’s, she lived in the neighborhood, and had Robin and the others pick her up there...  
“Yes, of course,” he told her.  
“Are you sure?” she double-checked, hardly daring to get her hopes up. Slow down Regina, Mom hasn’t even said you can go yet, she scolded herself.  
He grinned, pulling out a sleek black phone. “Positive. What’s your number and address so we can pick you up?”  
She gave him her number and Emma’s address. “I just have to make sure my friend will be ok with it, but it should be.”  
She spied confusion as he pondered her comment, but mercifully decided not to question her. “Ok. Hey, why don’t you just invite them too? There’s one more spot in the car.”  
She nodded. “I will.” That way she wasn’t completely lying to her mother and she had at least one friend to be with amongst near-strangers.  
They had reached the sign with a rabbit eating a carrot that hung over the doors of The Rabbit Hole. She leaned in closely to read the sign to make sure she was in the right place, then turned to him, setting her books on the ground beside them.  
That dazzling smile lit up his face again as he held out his hand. “Despite how it happened, it was wonderful meeting you Regina. Truly the highlight of my day.”  
She smiled nervously, hesitating. How would he react to her next statement? “I don’t do handshakes. I love hugs though.” Despite her nervousness about getting the first hug she’d gotten from a guy her own age, it was true. Once people got to know her, they learned she was warm-hearted and generous with her hugs.  
She didn’t think it was possible, but his smile grew twice its size. “Me too! I’m trying to be more professional with people I don’t know though, to get ready for job interviews in a few years- so I started with the handshake.”  
He opened his arms and she went into them. Immediately she knew she had made the right decision in initiating this. As his arms surrounded her, she felt the strangest feeling, a feeling of belonging and safety, as though at last she had found her place in the world- a place she could call home. Stop it Regina! It can never happen, and it would freak him out! He didn’t seem to want to let go either though, as they just stood there for the what felt like the longest moment of her life.  
With one last squeeze, which he reciprocated, they separated. Handing her books to her, he teased, “You sure you can handle these until you get to your mom?”  
“Positive,” she assured him adamantly. “What could possibly happen in the minute it’ll take me to find my mom’s table?”  
He laughed. “All right, if you insist. I’ll text you so you have my number for later.”  
He turned and walked away before she could react. She walked into The Rabbit Hole, preparing herself for the reprimand her mother was sure to give her, but knowing it would be worth it.  
Just as she caught sight of her mother sitting in a booth twiddling her fingers, she heard waves crashing, the sound on her phone for a text. She got it out of her purse and looked to see what it said:  
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: meeting you was by far the highlight of this already amazing week. Check with your friend and let me know for sure you can come tonight. Either way, the next time I see you can’t come soon enough. -Robin  
She couldn’t help smiling as she returned her phone to her purse. She knew that something had happened between them. She didn’t know exactly what yet, but she couldn’t wait to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina gets some answers while attending a bonfire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains my religious beliefs. I in no way mean to offend anyone or force my views on anyone, I just noticed that this was an angle on Robin and Regina that no one had explored before. Enjoy!

Chapter 2  
Regina took a deep breath, then hurried over to her mother, preparing herself for the onslaught of unnecessary worry that was oozing from her mother.  
“There you are! What took you so long?” her mother said. Two salads sat waiting for them. Inwardly, Regina groaned. She knew she was far from skinny, but did her mother have to rub it in all the time with the constant salads? Then again, she reasoned, that’s what the restaurant was known for- a place for students to eat something healthy while on campus.  
Regina answered vaguely that there had been a long line, then ate in silence as she listened to her mother describe in detail the pros and cons of the campus.  
Once they were in the car, Regina texted Emma: Hey, want to go to a bonfire tonight? And can I sleep over after?  
Emma’s response was immediate: YES!  
Regina smiled at her friend’s enthusiastic reply, texted Robin that they would be joining them for the bonfire, then clasped her hands in her lap nervously. Finally, she asked her mother if she could stay at Emma’s that night.  
“Regina, you know, you really need to stop going over there. You’ll have reading and studying to do soon, you’ll be too busy. You can’t be successful in school and go gallivanting off to Emma’s like you have been. You’ve probably been a burden to Emma’s parents this summer with how much time you spend there.”  
Regina sighed. While schoolwork was important to her, what was wrong with having fun once in a while? “I’ll limit it once classes start, I promise,” she said, “But what about tonight?” She didn’t bother to address her mother’s comment about Emma’s parents, because it couldn’t be further from the truth. She knew David and Mary Margaret didn’t mind her coming. More often than not, they took advantage of her presence and asked the two girls to babysit Emma’s four-year-old brother Neal.  
“All right, fine,” her mother relented reluctantly.  
“Thank you!” Regina said.  
In no time at all, she was telling her mother goodbye as she headed over to Emma’s, a backpack with her clothes and toiletries slung over her shoulder. Once she got there, after she was greeted with warm hugs by Emma’s parents and brother, Emma dragged her upstairs. They had a half hour before Robin was going to pick them up, and Regina had a feeling Emma was going to interrogate her.  
Sure enough: “Okay spill. How did we get invited to this bonfire?” Emma asked her as soon as she shut her bedroom door.  
Regina told her the story, sparing no details as she felt her face grow redder by the second. By the end Emma’s mouth hung wide open. “Wait a second- how do you think he healed your cut?” she demanded.  
“I still have no idea,” Regina admitted. “But I’m definitely asking him tonight.” Was it magic? Science? Somehow, she’d get to the bottom of this mystery.  
Robin had told Regina to look for a white Ford Fusion. While she didn’t know anything about car models due to not driving, she saw a white car pull up to the curb beside them, so she knew it was most likely her new friends.  
Sure enough, a boy hopped out of the car, and although she usually took awhile to recognize people, she knew it was Robin when that already familiar British tenor greeted her with “Hey, Regina!” and a hug. She hugged him back, that feeling of safety and belonging washing over her for the second time that day. I could get used to this… she thought. She hesitated to have those thoughts though, since she had never been close to a guy before.  
Once he released her, she felt her shyness return in full force. Luckily Emma noticed, stepping forward to introduce herself. “Hi, I’m Emma, you must be Robin,” she said, nudging Regina.  
She forced herself to focus as he nodded. “I am, it’s nice to meet you.”  
Emma smiled. “You too. We should probable get going, we don’t want to miss everything.” After putting the blanket they had brought in the trunk with the guitar that was already inside, he opened the door for them and bowed down to Regina. “Your chariot awaits, Your Majesty.”  
She frowned as she slid into the car next to Alice. He closed the door behind her then reclaimed the passenger seat. “Your Majesty?” That sounded too much like her mother’s way of thinking, and she didn’t like it. While her mother had high standards for the people her daughter spent time with, Regina knew she was no better than anyone else.  
“My mum and dad homeschooled me and insisted that I take Latin. I have a Spanish class this semester though. In Latin, your name means ‘queen,’” he told her.  
She groaned, inwardly berating her mother for giving her such a recognizably regal name. “I know, I just hate that my mom gave me that name and that you recognized it for what she meant it to be. And Spanish education is my major, so me too- which class and time?” she inquired, knowing that all of the Spanish classes were at different times throughout the week.  
“101 on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays at 1,” he responded eagerly. “Please tell me we’re in the same class?”  
She nodded, a small smile spreading. “We are.”  
“Perfect! So I’ll see you all the time this semester then,” he grinned, winking at her. She swallowed hard, her nerves resurfacing.  
To distract herself, she forced herself to turn her attention to Will and Alice, asking them more about themselves. She found out that he was studying biology and she was an education major. As with Robin, she found out that she and Alice had an education class together that semester.  
At one point she asked, “You all are freshman international students, so you only got here a week ago,” a fact she knew from what they had told her and Emma. “How are you all already so close?”  
They exchanged a knowing glance, smiling. “Let’s just say we all have something really important in common,” Alice told her, “the same thing we have in common with the friends we’re meeting now.”  
In what seemed like no time at all, they were at the beach helping set up the bonfire. She was surprised at the number and diversity of the students there. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve said that almost every continent was represented in the group.  
Emma and Regina were sitting on their blanket enjoying the warmth of the fire when Will and Robin walked toward them at the same time, each with a fresh marshmallow at the end of a stick. “My best mate thinks he can make a better marshmallow than me,” Robin told Regina. “Care to be the judge so we can prove him wrong?”  
She laughed, nodding. “I’d love to. While you’re making them, I’ll get s’mores ingredients ready so I can have the marshmallows the way I like them.”  
She shook her head as they hurried off, competition giving an extra spring to their steps. When they got back, she saw that Will’s marshmallow was burnt on the ends, which she had never liked, but Robin’s was golden brown, the perfect marshmallow in her opinion. Her preconceived opinion was solidified when she bit into each s’more. Finishing off the last bite, she said “And the winner is- drum roll please…”  
They patted their legs with their hands, faster and faster until she declared, ”Robin!!”  
He cheered as Will groaned. “Not fair! Who doesn’t like marshmallows that are burnt a little?”  
“Me, my favorites are the ones that are golden brown,” she told him. “Better luck next time.”  
Dejected, he walked off to talk to some of the others, while Robin stayed with the girls. He knelt beside Regina in the sand. “Want to go for a walk along the shore?” he asked her.  
She glanced at her best friend. “Are you okay with that? I’m the one who invited you, I feel bad leaving you.”  
“It’s fine, go ahead.” Emma assured her, bending her knees and wrapping her arms around them to get comfortable, her blonde locks spilling over her shoulders.  
Robin offered Regina his hand to help her get off the blanket. They walked down to the waves and started walking, the waves washing over their bare feet, their shoes abandoned by the blankets with Emma, Will, Alice and the others.  
She paused. “Wait, how are we going to know where our bonfire is?” There were bonfires all along the beach, all of which just looked like identical orange blobs to her.  
He glanced around, then pointed to the lifeguard stand behind them. “Ours is the one right behind the stand, I’m sure of it.”  
“Ok, perfect,” she thanked him, nodding.  
She could sense his hesitation before he asked, “If you don’t mind my asking, what’s your vision like? You don’t drive and you just asked how we’d find our bonfire… so I’m curious.”  
“No it’s okay- actually, you’re the first person who’s noticed this fast, so thank you for being so perceptive,” she said.  
She took a deep breath before continuing. She had only ever told Emma this before, and couldn’t believe she was about to tell him. What was it about him that made her feel so comfortable, so secure, despite the fact that they had met only that day? She decided to tell him everything- might as well rip the Band-Aid off all at once.  
“When my mom was pregnant with me, she and my father were in a car accident that caused me to not only have my bad vision, but mild CP. So what all of that means is: the bigger and closer something is, the easier it is for me to see, I recognize people primarily by their voices, which usually take a while to learn, and I walk slow and not straight.  
“After the accident, my mom blamed my dad, and when I was three, they almost got a divorce- but then he died in a car accident. My mother’s been overprotective ever since, which has meant that I’ve barely had any friends at all. So now all I’ve been wondering all day is how I’m comfortable enough around you to say all of this, and how I already know your voice when it usually takes me months.” I can’t believe I said that!  
Robin’s eyes were huge, their depths filled with concern for her. “Wow,” he breathed. Louder he continued, “I’m honored you shared all of that with me. We have one of those things in common: my father walked out on my mother shortly after my birth as well. As for the rest… all I can say is I’m here for you; I’ll always help you any way you want me to. At the same time though, don’t be afraid to tell me I’m doing too much. I want you to feel like your own person too, not be overbearing like your mum.” Realization dawned on his face as he asked, “Was she the reason you asked me to pick you and Emma up at her house?”  
“Yes,” she admitted, sighing. She was stunned by his reaction. No one had ever said such sweet, heartfelt words to her.  
His arm came around her and held her close. She wrapped her arm around his waist in return. They stayed that way, walking in companionable silence until they reached a pile of rocks, where they decided to sit and enjoy the view before heading back to their companions.  
Eventually, Regina decided to walk down to the water, Robin walking down with her. Robin cleared his throat. “Do you remember earlier, when you asked how you were healed?” When she nodded, he continued, “I’d love to tell you how that happened- may I?”  
She nodded again. But instead of telling her, he asked, “Do you believe in God? And have you heard of a man named Jesus?”  
Shaking her head, she asked, “I do believe that God made the world… but Jesus? Who’s that?”  
“Jesus is God’s Son. I’m getting ahead of myself though. Before I tell you more of His story- what do you think humans are at their core? Inherently good or evil?”  
Well…” she thought aloud, considering her answer, “I think that we all try to be good- some more than others- but inevitably, we all mess up. No one’s perfect.”  
He grinned. “Exactly. Not Jesus though. Jesus, because He’s God’s Son, is the only perfect person to ever live. And God hates that we’re not nearly as good as Him, full of sin, but loves us too. It’s like there’s a chasm between God, who’s perfectly good, and us with our sins. So to get rid of all of our imperfections, to build a bridge across the chasm, He sent Jesus to die for all of us- the only perfect sacrifice that can help us have a relationship with the God who loves us and made us. Because Jesus died and rose from the grave, we can have a relationship with God and be with Him when we die, which leads to amazing things you can’t even imagine…  
“Well, actually, you can,” he amended. “Remember when you were healed?” When she nodded, he said, “That was all God, not me at all. All I did was pray to him, asking Him to heal your cut, which I knew Alice and Will were doing too. Because God can and will do anything we ask Him if we just believe in Him, and turn from our sins to follow Him, He healed your cut. So what may have appeared to be magic was actually just faith in the God who saved us and loves us. I can’t look out at the ocean without seeing this beautiful, awe-inspiring thing God created just for us to enjoy.  
“And one more thing. Remember how we said all of us are so close despite only knowing each other a week? Our shared belief in God and what Jesus did for us is what brought us together. We’re actually going to start a club on campus that we’re going to call All Nations for Christ, or ANC, if you want to be a part of it,” he finished, a hopeful look in his eyes, waiting for her reaction to everything she had heard.  
Regina considered his story for a moment. While Cora had never been inclined to raise her daughter in a specific religious institution, preferring to rely on logic to guide her every thought and action, Regina had always been known to believe in magic and fairy tales, despite what she saw as her far-fetched hopes of ever finding her own Prince Charming. And given that she had seen him heal her paper cut instantly that afternoon, she was inclined to believe that God had rewarded his faith by healing her.  
She turned to face Robin. “I want to believe you- I maybe already do,” she told him. “But I still want to learn more about Jesus- how can I do that?”  
Robin started leading her back to their bonfire. “To begin, we can rejoin the others. Remember when I said there would be music tonight? All of it will be about God, Jesus, and what They did for us. I think that’s a good place to start. And beyond that- I’ll bring you your own copy of the Bible, which has everything you need to know about what we believe, when I see you on Monday.”  
Regina began to walk with him, the warm waves she now knew they both loved washing over her feet. They walked so close together that their hands brushed against each other.  
“Are you sure? You’ve already done so much for me…” She trailed off. She hated when people did things for her and she felt like she could never repay them- with her vision, that happened practically every day of her life, which in her opinion was far too frequently.  
His head turned, his eyes filled with a sincerity she found startling in its intensity. “Of course. As I said earlier, I’ll do anything to help you.”  
She whispered, “Thank you.”  
They walked in silence until they rejoined Emma and the others at the bonfire. Regina sat next to Emma as she listened to the other students singing:  
“The greatest love that anyone has ever known,  
That overcame the cross and grave to find my soul.  
And till I see You face-to-face, and grace amazing takes me home,  
I’ll trust in You.  
With all I am I live to see Your kingdom come.  
And in my heart, I pray You let Your will be done.  
And till I see You face-to-face, and grace amazing takes me home,  
I’ll trust in You.  
I will live to love You,  
I will live to bring You praise,  
I will live a child in awe of You.  
You are the Voice that called the universe to be,  
You are the whisper in my heart that speaks to me.  
And till I see You face-to-face, and grace amazing takes me home,  
I’ll trust in You…  
Wonder filled Regina, bringing tears to her eyes. Out of all the times she had dreamed of love, she had never imagined a love like this: one that was awe-inspiring, one that transcended time and space. The little doubt that still lingered started to crumble as she heard Robin’s voice leading the next song:  
I need You to soften my heart,  
To break me apart.  
I need You to open my eyes  
To see that You’re shaping my life.  
All I am, I surrender.  
Give me faith to trust what You say:  
That You’re good, and Your love is great.  
I’m broken inside, I give You my life.  
I need You to soften my heart, to break me apart  
I need You to pierce through the dark  
And cleanse every part of me.  
All I am, I surrender…  
I may be weak, but Your Spirit’s strong in me.  
My flesh may fail, my God You never will!  
I may be weak, but Your Spirit’s strong in me.  
My flesh may fail, my God You never will!  
The tears that lay on the surface began to fall, becoming a flood that seemed to have no end. How did she deserve this love? She had felt so isolated her whole life, now God was not only telling her He would always be with her, but He had given her this new group of friends, to learn from them and with them, family in the truest sense of the word due to the fact that though they came from around the world, they were all united in this one momentous truth.  
She crossed over to where Robin was sitting by Will and two others that she didn’t know, one a tall giant of a boy and the other a slim Chinese girl. Sitting down next to Robin, he looked to her, noticed her tears, then brushed them away with his fingertips. Seeking no explanation, he drew her into him, holding her as she melted into him, burying her face in his shoulder.  
When Regina looked up, her eyes still glistening with tears, she started, “About that Bible…”  
“It’s yours,” he said simply. “And I’ll help you see what God teaches you through it- we all will.”


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
Regina and Robin texted back and forth all weekend. They exchanged good morning and good night texts, and talked about everything and nothing in between. Slowly Regina was letting him into her world, and with each word exchanged between them, she was learning that Robin wanted nothing but the best for her.  
Usually Regina was quiet at home, trying to get space from her mother at all costs. But she found herself humming and smiling all weekend as she thought about her conversations with Robin and the contents of their interactions that have somehow brought her new life, a light she didn’t think she’d ever have.  
By Sunday afternoon, Cora noticed enough to comment on the change she saw in her daughter. As they sat drinking lemonade, Cora asked her daughter, “Regina, you seem unusually happy this weekend. Are you excited about school starting?”  
“I am,” Regina nodded. It was the truth, she was excited about starting class with Robin and Alice, but she hesitated to elaborate, knowing that knowing the details behind her behavior wouldn’t go over well with her mother.  
********  
It was Monday, their first day of classes. Robin showed up early to his Spanish class, hoping to get a minute alone with Regina before class began. He had offered to give her a ride to class when they were texting over the weekend, but she declined- due to her mother, he supposed, a slight frown clouding his expression as he thought of what Regina had revealed to him the other night at the bonfire.  
Just as his blood started to boil at the thought, only thinking of how he wants nothing more than to fight her battles with her, for her, she appeared. Voluminous dark curls pulled into a ponytail, she is wearing a shirt that is not quite brown, yet not quite green, which draws his attention to the fact that her eyes are the exact same color, specks of green peeking out from the light brown just enough to be seen by a keen observer.  
Robin’s features softened into a smile as he walked toward her, opening his arms to welcome her in. While her gaze seemed to be filled with confusion, as he said her name her eyes lit up and her expression softened into a smile he would willingly look at forever if that was God’s plan for him. His arms enveloped her, and he savored every second she was in his arms. She fit there perfectly, as if they were two puzzle pieces that belonged side by side.  
Forcing himself to pull away, Robin withdrew a light blue Bible from his backpack. “This is for you. While you could read it cover to cover, I don’t recommend doing that yet, since you’re still learning everything. My suggestion is John first, to learn more about Jesus, then either the rest of the gospels- the books that talk specifically about Jesus’ time on earth: Matthew, Mark, and Luke- or Psalms.”  
Her eyes widened when she saw the Bible he offered her. “It’s my favorite color- how’d you know?”  
Thank You, Lord! He couldn’t be more thankful for the secrets she shared with him on the night of the bonfire, but he’s been looking for an opening to get even closer to her, learn more about her, and it seems that God led him to a way to do that. “It’s one of my favorite colors too! That and green- like the Hulk.”  
She nods, grinning, which surprises him. He didn’t think she’d be the type to be familiar with the Marvel Universe, even if they’re a creation native to her country, not his. But Stan Lee’s creations are likely as well-known in Great Britain as they are here. “Now I’m curious,” he asked, “Who’s your favorite?”  
“Thor,” she responds without hesitation. Clearly, she likes them enough to have a preference. Blushing, she admits, “Partly because of his accent…” her cheeks redden even more as she trails off.  
Robin considered every aspect of her response. A Spiritual gift that God blessed him with is to see into people’s hearts, souls, their very being, including if they have a demon possessing them. So he can see that there is a faint glow to Regina, a light that grew stronger with every passing moment, white as snow. There’s also a slight pink tinge at the moment that he can’t identify, that maybe is related to her blushing cheeks? He wants to know, is aching to know if she feels the connection between them that he has felt since the moment they met.  
However, despite that connection, the all-consuming feeling he has that he has met the girl who, Lord willing, God has chosen for him to be with, he knows that she needs to fall in love with Christ first before they can be together.  
To that end, and to calm her, he offers, “As you can probably guess, one of mine is the Hulk. As much talking as we did this weekend, I realized we still don’t know each other well. And I want to help you learn more about Jesus, if you want. So would you want to study together- both Spanish and from the Bible- on Fridays? We can do more frequently or less if you want, but ANC, that group I was telling you about, is going to meet on Fridays as well, so I thought we might study and then join everyone else. And of course we’ll ask Will if we can borrow the car to drive you home.”  
“All of that sounds perfect,” she breathes, all embarrassment forgotten as her cheeks return to their natural olive tone. “And I have an idea for getting to know each other better: what if we ask each other random questions- favorite color, favorite sport, things like that- either every day or regularly? Maybe on the days we don’t see each other so we can still learn about each other even when we’re apart.”  
“I’d love to,” he assents, beginning to think of questions he’d like to ask her. Where she’d like to travel, her favorite book, her favorite movies…  
As he was considering other questions, their professor entered. Robin could see a faint shadow hovering around their professor, meaning that the woman had a demon inside her, and that either she was fighting it or it wasn’t a very powerful demon. He wondered how he could do something about that- he knew it could never be in class, but maybe he could go to the professor’s office hours- and bring Regina with him, to help him and for her to see more of what their faith, even if it was as small as a mustard seed, can do. He knew that it had to be the demonic influence when the professor gave them a large amount of homework at the end of the lesson, instead of just asking them to read the syllabus, like his other professors had so far that day.  
Throughout the class, he watched Regina, loving the way she seemed engrossed in everything they were doing. Through the workload the professor gave them, Robin saw that she had a natural talent for the language, and he wondered if that would reveal itself as her spiritual gift.  
He couldn’t wait to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
That Friday, Regina slid into the seat next to Robin in their Spanish class. He was wearing a sky blue shirt that she couldn’t help noticing highlighted the color of his eyes and outlined his muscular body in a way that had her secretly smiling to herself. She had never really noticed until that moment, but the sight of him in that shirt was one she could look at forever. Before then, it was only his face that held her attention.  
Forcing herself to look elsewhere, she found herself mesmerized by his smile for about the thousandth time since making his acquaintance a week ago. She shook her head and looking away before he could notice anything out of the ordinary in her eyes.  
“Hey,” he greeted her, putting his arm around her shoulder as she put hers around his waist. She leaned into him, cherishing this moment despite the fact that she enjoyed being fully enveloped in his arms more. “Ready for our study session after class?”  
Her eyes widened. She hadn’t told her mom of her plans to stay after class to study- whatever the contents of their study session would end up being- with Robin.  
She rose quickly, grabbing her phone, shooting a “Be right back,” over her shoulder as she walked briskly out of the room and crossed the hall to a lounge area. She only had ten minutes before class to convince her mother to let her stay, and hopefully have Robin drive her home afterwards.  
Hitting the speed dial, she lifted the phone to her ear. When her mother picked up, she said hurriedly, “Mom, I have a huge favor to ask.”  
When Cora asked what she wanted, she went on in the same rushed way, relaying the details of their study session and the first ANC meeting that Robin had told her in one of their many conversations that week. She was hopeful that if she got it out fast enough her mother wouldn’t hear enough details to overthink about allowing her to stay. Knowing her mother’s distaste for anything faith-oriented, she simply told her that it was a meeting of a club on campus. It was the truth, but omitting the details she knew her mother wouldn’t approve of.  
“No, Regina,” Cora mused. “You don’t know this friend well, you only just met them this week, and you should get ahead on all of your studies so that when your finals and end-of-semester projects come up, you’ll have adequate time to work on them.”  
Regina groaned. “Mom, that’s ages away! And you know I’ll do homework the rest of the weekend anyway. I won’t even try to see Emma this weekend,” she added, hoping that this last-ditch effort would persuade her mother to let her stay. “And besides, I met my friend- and a couple others we’ll see tonight- when I was getting books last week.”  
With a long sigh, her mother relented. “I really don’t want you with anyone I haven’t met, but all right. What’s this club you’re going to?”  
Regina hesitated. What would her mother think if she said she was going to a meeting of Christians? That she was one herself? She knew it wouldn’t go well; her mother would never be open-minded enough to accept that what she believed was an acceptable way of thinking for her daughter.   
Her hesitation apparently spoke volumes to the woman on the other end of the call. “Regina, if this is a religious group, I don’t know… they don’t even know about all of your health conditions, what if you fall and break something?”  
“They do though- or my friend from class does, anyway,” Regina assured her. “I really need to get to class,” she added, spotting their professor at the opposite end of the hall, “What’s the final verdict?”  
“You can study for an hour after class, but that’s it. I’ll pick you up afterwards,” Cora decreed.   
Regina sighed. “Fine.”   
As Señora Dragón approached, she said, “Hola, Señorita- Mills, is it?”  
Regina nodded.  
“I told the class on Monday that class begins the moment I walk in the door. I highly suggest you run before I assign you extra credit to do over the weekend.”  
Regina took off and just barely made it into the classroom before Señora Dragón. That day, the class continued their study of Spanish pronunciation, the alphabet, and basic vocabulary, including various greetings. Regina sighed with the rest of the class as their professor told them their assignment for the weekend, in addition to a two-sided worksheet she had designed, was to work with a partner to prepare and perform three basic conversations for the class on Monday. To end the class, she reminded them that her only office hour during the week was directly after class.  
As Regina and Robin walked out of the room, he asked her, “What did your mum say? How long do we have?” Upon hearing her response, which was punctuated with a frustrated sigh, he continued, “All right- then would you mind if we skipped studying Spanish today and did something else? I have a project I need your help with, and it involves the passage I asked you to read the other day. We can get together this weekend to prepare our skit.”  
“Okay,” Regina replied, nodding. On Tuesday, he had texted her asking her to read Ephesians 6:10-18, which had taught her about the armor God gave to all those who trusted Him.   
She followed him out of the building. When she realized where they were going, she asked, “Why are we going to Señora Dragón’s office hours?”  
Robin paused on the building’s steps. “Because we’re going to see her and help her. Each of us has spiritual gifts, and mine is to see people’s souls. Hers is currently being held captive by one of the devil’s minions, so we need to have God use us to save her. Because as you pointed out last week,” he reminded her, “none of us are flawless, only Jesus. So we can’t do anything good on our own.”  
Regina gripped her bag tighter, imagining what this endeavor would entail. “Are you sure I can help you do this? Wouldn’t it be better to have someone else? I can go get Alice now,” she suggested, turning the way they had come, knowing from a conversation with the wild-haired girl the day before that she was currently in the building that Regina and Robin had just left.  
A curious look crossed Robin’s face before he grabbed her hand, effectively stopping her in her tracks. “No, it has to be you,” he insisted. “It’ll help that you know her like I do, so you’ll care more about saving her. Don’t you want those awful homework assignments gone?”  
Regina nodded.  
“Then come with me and help me save her. As I’ve told you before, whenever two people ask for something in Jesus’ Name, He’ll answer them. And we both have God’s Spirit in us, which Jesus said we’d want more than having Him standing in front of us. And most importantly, God doesn’t give us a Spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-control.”  
Regina took a deep breath, her grip on his hand tightening. “Ok. But how do we remind ourselves of God’s armor?”  
She was surprised when instead of looking dejected, Robin grinned. “We don’t have to, God gives it to us! Watch and learn, milady.”  
He put his finger on the watch that she had just noticed he was wearing. The lion on the watch glowed, and a flash of color surrounded Robin. Suddenly he was wearing a silver and gold belt emblazoned with a cross at its center. The main part of the armor, his breastplate, was white, with a red cross above an eye that seemed to hold every color of the rainbow. Looking down at his feet, Regina saw green shoes, each displaying a white dove. His shield held a lion, which was so lifelike Regina wondered for a moment if it would leap off the shield to roar at her. His helmet had the same emblem as the breastplate, a red cross, and what looked like an empty tomb. His Bible, which he had retrieved from his bag to remind her of the armor of God, had transformed into a sword covered in intricate markings, which she instinctively knew were verses from the book it had once been.   
“Whoa,” Regina breathed. “What about armor for me?”  
“Do you have something with you that matters to you? Something from a family member, perhaps?”  
She thought for a moment, finally pointing out her necklace- a cross, coincidentally enough, that had belonged to her Grandmom, who had passed away the year before.  
His eyes brightened when he noticed the shape of the charm. “That couldn’t be more perfect! Close your eyes, and think of God protecting you. If you truly believe He will, His armor will appear.”  
She did so obediently, thinking of her Savior and how far He had helped her come in just one week and how much she desperately wanted Him to do in the future. She felt the armor surround her, its heavy weight setting on every inch of her body. Looking down at herself, she noticed that her armor matched Robin’s exactly. The one exception was her breastplate, which had a globe where Robin had an eye.  
Robin noticed the difference too. He seemed pensive, nodding to himself, and she wanted to ask him to share his thoughts. But before she had the chance, he took off into the building and didn’t stop until they were outside of their professor’s office door.  
Regina gulped. “Do we just… go in?”   
“Not quite,” Robin cautioned, setting his shield and sword down so he could grab her hand as it reached the door. He used his hold on her to turn her so she was facing him, taking her other hand once she could see his face. “The last thing we need to do is pray.”  
“How? Are there specific words we need to say?” Regina inquired curiously.  
“No, not at all! He just wants us to talk to Him like a friend- our best friend, or our Father,” he instructed, his hands reaching out to squeeze hers at the mention of the parent they had both never known. “You don’t have to, I know this is new for you- you can just listen if you want.”  
He bowed his head, Regina following his example as he started to pray: “Lord, thank You for being the light in our darkness. Help us save Your creation that is being held by the one You hate above all others. Most of all, thank You for Your Son and for Regina,” at this Regina blushed, “and her faith in You. Help us trust You every step of the way, and be with us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”  
She opened her eyes as he looked up. “Are you ready?” he asked, squeezing her hands one final time before taking up his sword and shield once more.  
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she answered, gripping her sword and shield so tightly she knew she’d have imprints on her palms.  
They entered the door marked Malena Dragón. Señora Dragón looked up from her desk where she was grading papers. Her annoyed expression turned colder as she took in their armor.  
Standing, she hissed, “I should have known you’d be one of them, Mr. Locksley. But you, Miss Mills? You, I didn’t expect. Shall we begin?”  
As she spoke, her appearance changed. Regina saw snakes and horns made of fire sprout from Señora Dragón’s head, which multiplied into three. Her skin turned as black as night, and hands turned to claws as sharp as their swords. Spikes sprouted from every inch of the professor’s skin.   
“What do we do?!?” Regina shouted to Robin as the demon started throwing paper that was as strong as darts at them.   
“You? You can do nothing! You’re useless against me!” the devil’s advocate screeched.  
Suddenly, Regina’s sword grew warm in her hand. Looking down, she saw words glowing on her sword. Somehow, she knew reading these words was what she needed to do. “No! I can do… all things through Christ who strengthens me?” she said, hesitating.   
The darts hesitated, only to start again while the demon to attempted a different tactic. Turning to Robin, she taunted him, “Why did you bring her? You would’ve done much better on your own.”  
“No, I wouldn’t’ve,” Robin admonished quietly. Not even looking at his sword, he continued, “Wherever two or more are gathered, Jesus is there too. And while I love having Regina’s help, I definitely can’t do this without Him.”  
The words created a bright light that illuminated the room. Regina’s eyes fixed on the demon, which burst into shards of darkness that sunk into the ground as their professor collapsed on the hard tile. Glancing over at Robin, she was transfixed. He shone with a light that contained every color of the rainbow, yet somehow the colors blended so she could see all of them at once.   
As the light faded, Regina’s armor disappeared. Tossing her Bible aside on a chair across from Señora Dragón’s desk, she flung her arms around Robin’s waist. His arms encircled her as he rubbed her back soothingly. Filled with amazement at what he had done, Regina lifted her head, her head tilted up to his, lips nearing Robin’s with every passing second.   
He put a finger on her lips, effectively making her pause. “Regina…” He put his hands in his pockets. “Don’t.”  
Regina’s heart shattered. He was the only one other than Emma who had ever made her feel like she was strong, capable. He was one of the few who she had felt she could open herself up to. She had felt a connection to him from the moment they met. Clearly, he didn’t, and it crushed her. She crossed to the wall, sinking to the floor as she lifted closed eyes to the hidden heavens.  
She felt his hands on her shoulders. “Regina…”   
“What?” she asked bitterly.   
He paused as he sat next to her, one hand on her shoulder, only continuing when he knew she’d let him. “When I said don’t, what I should’ve said was what I meant: we shouldn’t. Because I do want to be with you Regina, more than anything. But I want you to know our Savior better first, to be able to believe in Him enough to be able to have His help in defeating demons, to know that when you see me, you see Him. But His Spirit only just started working in you, so those things are going to take time. Which is completely understandable, it does for everyone,” he hurriedly reassured her- clearly he could see the hurt and defeat in her eyes. “But it still may be awhile. But until then, occasional doses of this,” his hands moved to hers, squeezing them, and her heart, which had frozen at what she thought was his rejection, began to thaw, “will continue to happen. And most importantly: for you, my arms are always open.”  
She finally looked up. Robin’s words seemed heartfelt. Warmth was woven through each syllable, and his genuine affection shone like the light that had outlined him moments before. “Okay,” she acquiesced.   
Suddenly, they heard a groan. Forcing herself to tear her eyes away from Robin, Regina saw their professor push herself up from the ground.   
“Señora? Are you all right?” Robin asked, slowly approaching the Spanish woman so he wouldn’t frighten her, Regina assumed.  
She groaned. “I think so. What happened?” Apparently once demons left their hosts, they forgot they had been hosts at all.   
“Regina, would you like to do the honors?” Robin asked, turning to her as she stood to join him.   
She gulped, then nodded. God, help me please, she thought- no, prayed. She had never explained her fledgling faith to anyone before.  
“You’ll probably find this hard to believe,” she began, “But you had a demon- an evil spirit- in you, who was trying to work against God and His Son.”  
“That actually makes sense,” Señora Dragón acknowledged. “I have memories of things that I would normally never do. Did I really tell your class to perform three skits just with salutations?”  
“Yes, you did, Señora,” Robin enlightened her.  
She groaned, putting her head in her hands. She looked back up at them. “I’m so sorry,” she apologized. “Can you ever forgive me?”  
“Of course,” they assured her. “Forgiveness is at the heart of our belief in Jesus,” Robin said. “Without it, we wouldn’t be here.”  
She cocked her head, frowning slightly. “Who exactly is Jesus?”  
Robin nodded to Regina with an encouraging smile. She explained their beliefs to the newly emancipated woman as best she could, without any help from her friend, despite her lack of confidence in her own abilities.   
When she finished, she noticed that Señora Dragón’s eyes were filled with tears. “He would really want me, after everything that- thing made me do?” she asked timidly.   
“It was never you,” Regina assured her.  
After the companions had prayed with her, the professor nodded slowly. “Well,” she said, “I have an email to send out to the class decreasing three skits to one, and I’m sure you both have better things to do with your weekend.”  
“Gracias Señora,” they said in unison, turning to leave.  
“None of that. For you two, outside of class it’s Malena or Mal.”  
“Really? Are you sure?” Regina asked, having never met this informality in a teacher before.  
“Absolutely,” Malena said adamantly. “While I wouldn’t normally allow students to do that, we three share circumstances and a faith unique from all the other students I’ve ever had. That connection gives you both the right to use my first name.”  
“¡Gracias!” they said together, walking out of the room towards their weekend, confident that this new believer would find her place in God’s creation.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
On Saturday, Regina got a text from Robin inviting her to church the following day. Her immediate reaction was to reject his offer because of her mother, but he assuaged her fears regarding her mother’s inevitable disapproval by pointing out that they had to put together their skit regardless, so they could do both at once. He also told her he had something to show her that they hadn’t had time for the previous day.  
She agreed, which is how she found herself standing nervously outside of his apartment on Sunday morning. She didn’t know why she was nervous- she would be with Robin, after all- but she wasn’t completely sure that they were fine after she had tried to kiss him. While she trusted Robin implicitly, she had had too many fruitless crushes and too little experience conversing with the opposite gender to be completely sure of where they stood.  
However, she immediately discovered that her fears were needless when Robin opened the door and swept her into his arms. She couldn’t help releasing a sigh of relief and relaxing into his embrace, as she always did.  
She looked down at herself. “Wait, is this okay for church?” She was wearing khaki shorts and a burgundy top, not wanting to arouse her mother’s suspicions but not wanting to be too casual either. She noticed that Robin was wearing a black suit with a red shirt.  
Robin nodded. “Speaking of, I have something to show you.”   
Stepping into his apartment, she saw Will standing from the table, cup of tea and cereal in hand. “I’ll let you two be here, I’ll take this to my room.”  
“No need, I was planning on the couch anyway, at least at first- I want to show her the book,” Robin tells him, shaking his head. His roommate sat back down with a smile, and when Robin disappeared down a hallway, turned to Regina, “How do you like SU so far?”  
“It’s great- what about you?” she asks, sitting on the comfortable couch in their living room. Realizing she knows almost nothing about him, she adds, “Robin keeps offering to borrow your car so he can pick me up- thanks for that, by the way. How can you all legally drive in the States?”  
“Anline,” Will informs her. “SU told us it was the easiest way to get around, so they sent us a link to get our licenses online. Apparently after thirty years of the Internet, it’s possible to get equivalent licenses in different countries quite easily. Then my parents decided to find a deal on a car rental- and here we are.”  
“Wow, I didn’t know that- not that I know much about it to begin with,” Regina admits.  
She took a moment to look around the main room of the apartment. Although the boys had only been living there for two weeks, it was already homey. A blanket rested over the back of the sofa. Pictures were kept on the fridge by magnets, and a framed verse hung on the wall across from her.  
Robin emerged from the hallway. He sat beside her on the couch, putting a brown leather-bound book in front of them on the coffee table.   
“What’s this?” she inquired, staring at it curiously.  
“This, milady,” he began, placing a hand on the book before them, but before he can continue, she interrupted.  
“Milady? You called me that the other day too- why?” she asks, a frown on her face, not sure how she felt about it.  
“Well, you said you disliked ‘your majesty,’ so I’m not going to call you that, but I wanted something to call you that only I get to call you… It might change in the future though,” he added, winking at her.  
She smirks, thinking about the meaning of the word, while taking advantage of learning his last name when they had become Facebook friends that week. “Staking your claim, Mr. Locksley?”   
His hand reached out towards the hand that rested on the book before them as if to cover it, then he seemed to rethink the gesture, firmly placing now-clasped hands in his lap. Instead, his gaze lifted to hers, a mischievous glint in his eye as he reached out to try to tickle her. Little did he know that she’s not very ticklish, a fact that brings a smile of satisfaction to her lips as he replied, “Yes.”  
“Okay, enough trying to tickle me- you won’t succeed anyway,” she told him, reaching forward to bring the book to her lap. “What’s this?”  
Her tactic worked, she could see the instant his face grew more serious.   
“This,” he begins, “holds the record of all of the miracles and deeds Jesus has done through ANC at SU. It’s not very full yet, of course, but our hope is that it will be. We’re also going to put prayer requests in here as well- our belief is that God will answer the prayers that are written in this book- although He hears and answers all of them, but to us, this book is special. I was hoping you could write down our encounter with Malena’s demon yesterday.”  
She considered it a moment, one hand cupping her chin. “No, you should,” she decided. “I’ll write if there are any adventures I have on my own, but for adventures we have together, you should be our author. Although I’ll definitely help if you want.”  
“Sounds perfect. Shall we get started, then?” he asked.   
And in the hour before they left for church, that’s what they did.   
“Well, I think we have the perfect skit for Mal’s assignment, don’t you?” Robin asked Regina as he opened the door for her to step out of the car.  
“I do. And I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces when we pull it off,” Regina acknowledged with a smile. She had discovered that Robin was a closet actor in addition to his many other talents, an ability that they were going to take advantage of the next day in class.   
When they entered the church, Regina looked around in awe. There were people from all walks of life in attendance, from women in jean shorts carrying babies and children running around to impressively dressed men and women.   
“See?” Robin said with a smile, elbowing her. “I told you you’d be fine.”  
As they took their seats and the service began, a band came up and began to play. Regina smiled, getting out her monocular. She had been considerately warned by Robin that the lyrics would probably be too far for her to see. She loved how thoughtful he was, how he made sure to offer her as much help as she needed.   
After the first song and announcements, they were asked to stand up and say hello to those around them. Regina stood slowly, noticing that everyone around her was already talking. She started to sit again, but was stopped by a hand tapping on her shoulder.   
She turned to find an older woman about her height with long brown hair and glasses who only had one arm. “Hi honey. I’m Andi, but you can call me Granny, everyone else does,” the woman said, reaching for a hug.   
Of course, Regina returned the hug warmly. “I’m Regina, nice to meet you,” she said. She wasn’t completely sure if she felt comfortable calling the woman Granny yet, but she could already tell she would get to that point quickly.  
“Are you new here? I haven’t seen you before,” Andi asked her.  
Regina nodded. “My friend Robin invited me and helped me get here,” she told her, tapping the man in question on the shoulder so he would turn and join their conversation.  
“Oh yeah, I’ve met you before, haven’t I?” Andi asked Robin, seeming to recognize him from a previous encounter.  
Robin nodded. “Yes ma’am. This time last week, and my friends and I had dinner at your diner on Friday as well.”  
“You own a diner?” Regina asked, wondering if it was a restaurant she was familiar with. She doubted it though- her mother had the highest standards for everything, including food, so she imagined that if Robin and their friends had eaten there, then it was likely she hadn’t.  
“Yeah, it’s Granny’s Diner, within walking distance of SU, have you been?” Andi wondered.  
Regina shook her head. She knew where it was though, could picture it, having passed it many times before. The eatery was a small, cheerful-looking building that overlooked the main plaza of the town. Regina had always wanted to go there.  
Andi placed her hand on Regina’s shoulder. “You’ll have to stop by. Discounts for all college students- and free for any friend of Robin’s,” she added, winking at Regina. “He’s a good kid, I want more like him frequenting the place.”  
Regina returned the smile hesitantly. She had a feeling the woman was trying to play matchmaker, and given what had transpired the other day, she didn’t want to get her- or the restauranteur’s- hopes up too soon. Who knew how long it would be before she and Robin would be together that way, or if they even would, despite their promises to each other?  
The sermon began after a few more songs had been sung. Regina was surprised to learn that the sermon was about prayer. She had wondered about the topic after praying with Malena and Robin the other day. The pastor spoke of the humility that was essential to prayer, that it was important to remember God’s grace and their sinful nature before praying to Him, remembering to be thankful of their connection to Him through Christ. Regina soaked up the words like a sponge, and glancing at Robin, she could see he was as well. He opened his Bible and showed her verses about Christ’s humility and their own, nodding understandingly when she had gently pushed his away in favor of her own, which thankfully he had thought to get in large print.  
Once they were back in the apartment, Robin pulled her aside. “Could I meet your mum when she picks you up in a few minutes? Please?” he asked.  
Regina immediately grew tense, her hands curling into nervous balls. “I’m really not sure that’s the best idea…” she said nervously.  
“Why not?” he asked.  
Regina sighed. “I know how high her standards are, I just don’t want her to hurt you, or tell me I can’t see you. I don’t think I could stand it if she did.”  
Predictably, his arms surrounded her. He pulled away a little to look deep into her eyes. “You don’t need to worry about anything. No matter what happens, it’ll all happen according to God’s plan. And if something does happen, we’ll pray. God’s three answers to prayer are always ‘yes,’ ‘not yet,’ or ‘I have something better in mind’- so it will be all right, I promise. In fact,” he continued as his hands came to rest on hers, rubbing them soothingly, “let’s pray now.”  
The fact that the last sentence is in fact a sentence and not a question soothed Regina’s heart in a way that left her stunned. Somehow, Robin had come to know her well enough in the last week and half to know exactly what to say in any situation. That newfound knowledge had her nodding slowly, clasping his hands, intertwining their fingers because although they’re not together, she needed that small reminder that he’s always there for her.  
They bowed their heads simultaneously. “Lord, be with us as I meet Regina’s mum. Strengthen us, help us remember that everything that happens will happen according to Your plan. Help us trust in You. Soften Regina’s mum’s heart so that our first interaction, and all others after it, go well. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”  
At that moment, ocean waves signaled a text on Regina’s phone. “Here goes nothing,” Regina sighed. Her eyes found Robin’s, pleading with him to give her an honest answer. “Is my faith strong enough for this?”  
Robin gave her one last hug, his lips brushing her ear, shivers going down her spine as he whispered, “You’re one of the strongest people I know, God’ll take care of it, it’ll be fine,” then they walked down to the waiting vehicle.  
As she had expected, Cora’s eyebrows rose when they walked toward her. “Who’s this?” she asked, her tone polite, but Regina could hear the judgment simmering underneath.  
“Mom, this is my friend Robin,” Regina said, her voice steadier than she had imagined it would be.   
“The friend from class, I presume,” Cora mused, her voice full of hidden disapproval that Regina wasn’t sure Robin could pick up on.   
He stepped forward, holding out his hand for Cora to shake, but she didn’t return the gesture. “Yes ma’am, it’s been wonderful getting to know your amazing daughter.”  
Cora sniffed. “I raised her, I don’t need to be told how amazing she is. Regina, get in the car, you have work to do when we get home.”  
Regina looked to Robin, wondering if he was all right. He reached out to give her one last hug, then she stepped in the car.   
Once they were driving, Cora, seeming to have noticed the connection between her and Robin, demanded, “Tell me everything you know about him.”  
Regina couldn’t help the soft smile that came whenever she thought about Robin. “He’s amazing,” she told her mother. Making sure to word it in a way her mother would understand, she told her, “He believes in me when I don’t believe in myself, he helps me whenever I need it, he’s so understanding and kind…” she trailed off, not knowing what else to say. It was impossible to sum a person in words, especially one like Robin, who was so much more than he appeared to be on the surface.  
Her mother let out a frustrated sigh. “But he’s still the one who invited you to that religious club, correct? What does he want to do with his life?”  
“All I know is that he’s a communications major,” Regina said. “And yes, he did.”  
Cora scoffed. “Communications? Regina, you can be friends with him, but no going to any of those club meetings and don’t even think about dating him. I will not have my daughter with someone who will not be able to provide for her.”  
Regina opened her mouth to protest, then snapped it shut, remembering that she and Robin had said they’d wait before they started dating. Live to fight another day, she thought as she texted Robin: That didn’t go so well… seeing you tomorrow can’t come soon enough.  
His response was immediate: Look up Nehemiah 8:10. I promise it’ll all be fine. See you tomorrow! The text was accompanied by a picture of his smiling face, which Regina couldn’t be more thankful for. She closed her phone, starting to count down the hours until she saw him again.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
Robin glanced over at Regina, who as always was putting her books down next to him in class the following Friday. “Hey, I had an idea,” he began, “How about we ask everyone in ANC if they want to go to Granny’s for ANC tonight? That way you might be able to convince your mom to let you go.” He wanted to tell her that God would find a way to get her to the meetings and church regularly, that obeying God was sometimes more important than obeying your parents, but he hesitated to say it, knowing how confined she felt and didn’t want her to feel guilty in any way for listening to her controlling mother.  
Regina sat back, folding her arms across her chest as she thought. “I don’t know… Plus, I didn’t bring any money with me.”  
Robin hesitated, wanting her to come, but not wanting to push too hard. Then he had an idea. “What if we move the time up a little bit to 5? Then your mum will see it as less time away from her and homework too. And don’t worry about dinner, knowing Granny it’ll be on the house.”  
She sighed, but then finally, “Okay, I’ll try,” she agreed, extracting her phone to text her mother. Robin knew she had already agreed to let Regina study- he had thanked God every day that Regina’s mother had seen fit to allow them to be friends, although he secretly thought that Regina was capable of selecting her own friends- so the only piece that she would need to talk to her about was dinner.  
Once Regina had finished texting her mum, her beautiful chocolate eyes fixed on Robin’s, a teasing tone in her voice when she reminded him, “You do realize this means we’ll have to actually do homework this afternoon, right?”  
He nodded, his voice superior when he told her. “Of course! Believe it or not, I actually complete homework every second I’m not in class or doing something else- and we did do our work on Sunday, remember?”   
Regina laughed, a melodic sound that made Robin’s heart soar. “True.”  
Malena walked in then, and Robin and Regina refocused their attention to the front of the classroom. In the week since they had driven the demon out, Robin had noticed a significant change in their professor. No longer was she snapping instructions out to the class like a naval commander, assigning work that seemed impossible every class. Instead she was kind and helpful, walking around the room during class activities to help students. She had also increased her office hours to a couple hours a few times a week instead of the one hour per week it had been previously.  
After class, Robin and Regina went to Granny’s. Through campus they walked, finally ending up at the corner that was part of the town’s main plaza. Directly in front of them resided the town library, where a clocktower loomed over the town, marking each hour with melodic chimes.   
Regina had apparently always loved the songs the clock played, telling Robin the different tunes as they walked. Instead of leading her across the plaza, Robin guided Regina across the street to Granny’s.   
Once they were closer to its doors, Robin felt Regina’s hand on his shoulder, signaling that she wanted to pause. Robin supposed that she was taking a moment to take in the restaurant, since she had said that she had been forced to pass it by her entire life. It had a more direct view of the plaza, especially the fountain at its center. Cheerful signs advertising College Students: 50% off! were plastered on the windows, and peering through them to the restaurant beyond, he could see Granny’s selection of desserts, cupcakes, pies, cookies, and brownies each staking a claim to a place on the shelves on the right wall of the eatery.  
Arriving at the door slightly ahead of Regina, Robin held it open for her. She stepped inside, and Robin could tell from her face that she enjoyed the diner as much as he did. Pausing for a moment to contemplate, he settled on choosing seats for them at the counter, reasoning that they could claim tables for the ANC meeting once it got closer to the dinner rush.   
“It’s so cozy,” Regina said, sitting next to him as she slung her bag up onto the counter beside her.   
He nodded. “Now you see one of the reasons we like it here. It’s a home away from home. Do you want anything before we get started?” One of the questions he had asked her the previous week was how she ranked desserts, so he knew that the cookies and brownies had to be tempting her sweet tooth.  
To his surprise though, her face fell, a hard look clouding her eyes. “No.”  
Robin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Why not? I know there’s no ice cream here, but you said the other day that you love cookies and brownies. And I believe your exact words when I asked your favorite flavor were, ‘you can never go wrong with chocolate,’ which describes half the desserts on those shelves.”  
“That’s just it,” Regina pointed out quietly. “Desserts. My birthday is the only time that sweets ever cross the threshold of my house.”  
An overwhelming urge to hold her had Robin out of his seat in a heartbeat, and before he even realized what he was doing, his palms were rubbing soothing circles on her shoulder blades. Inwardly though, he was berating himself. He had set boundaries with her for a reason, and now here he was tearing those walls down brick by brick. Although at the same time, all he wanted to do was show her that her mother’s way of thinking was wrong. Friends would do that too, right?  
He decided a change of subject was in order. “Speaking of, when is your birthday?”  
“July twenty-second, yours?” she responded.  
“Hey, our birthdays are close! Mine’s August second.” He grinned at the joy of finding yet another commonality between them. It seemed that every day they were brought closer and closer together.   
Granny chose that moment to come over to them, and Robin, realizing he was still rubbing Regina’s shoulder blades, lowered his hands immediately. “I was wondering when I’d see you two in here! What can I get you? Anything you want, it’s on the house.”  
Robin glanced at Regina, who looked taken aback. “Really? Are you sure?” she asked, disbelief coating each word she spoke.   
“Honey, you’re in college. Enjoy the excuse to accept free food while you have it,” Granny told her, waving her off when she started to protest again. “So, what’ll it be?”  
“Do you want to split something, perhaps?” Robin offered.   
Regina visibly relaxed at his suggestion, and he couldn’t help his smile of satisfaction. “Choose whatever you like, it doesn’t matter to me,” he told her.  
“So many options…” she contemplated, eyes scanning the selection. Turning to Granny, she asked, “What do you recommend?”  
“She’s biased!” Robin protested.   
“But she also knows the menu better than anyone,” Regina pointed out.   
“I attempted a strawberry mango pie this morning,” the proprietor suggested. “I heard Robin say you like chocolate, but it’s the end of summer, and I don’t know about you, but I love fruit in the summer.”  
Robin couldn’t help grinning as Regina’s eyes lit up. “Yes please!”  
As the restaurant owner walked away, Robin grinned at Regina. “Do you like strawberry mango pie?” he asks, a clearly rhetorical question given her reaction to Granny’s description.   
Her smile shone as brightly as the sun. “She offered a dessert that involves two of my favorite fruits, I couldn’t pass it up.”  
“Ah,” Robin nodded. “Two of your favorite fruits- so what’s the third?” He couldn’t really explain why he noticed that detail and asked, he just wants to learn everything that makes her… Regina.  
For the next three hours they talked and laughed as they studied Spanish. Eventually, Robin suggested that they relocate to another table so they could have enough room when everyone arrived for ANC.   
Around five o’clock, people started trickling in for the meeting. In addition to Will and Alice, there’s Peter, a short skinny Brit, Sandy, a boy very similar to Robin in both stature and nationality, Belle, an Australian brunette, Mulan, a petite Chinese girl, Killian Jones, a tall, thin boy whose Irish accent frequently filled the room when he laughed, and Ron Gold, a prim Scot. Behind them entered Archie, a man with glasses who is their advisor. The door started to shut behind Archie, only to be caught by a girl with curly flaming red hair who Robin’s never seen before.   
The meeting began, and the first order of business was ordering food. Robin noticed that Regina only ordered a salad with chicken, and while he might chalk it all up to the hot Maryland day, he suspected there may be more to it than that given her resistance to dessert earlier in the afternoon. He hesitated to bring it up with her though- despite how close they’d become, he still wanted to keep their established boundaries so she could build her relationship with their Savior.   
After dinner, due to the new people in the room they played a game to learn each other’s names. The game involved a rhythm of four beats created by tapping legs and clapping, and during each set of four, one person called on another to say their name during a predetermined number of the beats, starting the count with the last beat of the rhythm.   
Robin couldn’t help but laugh as the new girl, Zelena, could never quite seem to get the gist of the game. She did well when she had to say her name twice, but always started at the wrong place when one or three was called, and missed the first beat when she had to say her name on each beat of the rhythm. He immediately felt guilty afterwards- after all, God gives certain gifts to everyone for a reason- but at the same time, it was blatantly obvious that music and rhythmic patterns were not one of Zelena’s.  
It seemed to him that Regina, however, was born to play this game. She never missed a single beat, and Robin remembered hearing her sing on Sunday, her voice clear beside him, hitting every note with precision despite not being familiar with the songs’ tunes or lyrics. He resolved to ask her about it the next day as their question; what her hobbies are, and if singing was in fact one of them as he suspected, he would ask her about her favorite types of music, favorite songs to sing, and favorite song.  
After the game, they dove into the Bible. Given the nature of the group, the first thing they’d chosen to study is the Great Commission and the early Christians’ interactions with the Gentiles. Robin watched Regina’s eyes shine as she listened and looked around her, resolving to ask her what specifically gave her that look of pure joy.   
Once Archie’s plans for the night were finished after a fantastic discussion, they prayed. To Robin’s surprise and delight, Regina offered to pray. As hands joined around the circle, Robin’s clasped in Regina’s on one side and Belle’s on the other, Robin heard Regina’s beautiful mezzosoprano lifted up in prayer to the God who brought them all together. Her voice was somewhat hesitant, so Robin squeezed her hand, hopefully conveying a silent reminder to her that she wouldn’t be judged for anything she said or the way she prayed.   
When the meeting ended, Robin stood and walked over to Zelena, intending to officially introduce himself to their newest member that he wasn’t already acquainted with. “Hello,” he says, watching Regina talking with Alice as he held out a hand for Zelena to shake. “It’s Zelena, right?”  
She nodded, her grip dainty in his firm grasp. “Right. From the comments you made tonight, I’m sure you’ve grown up having a relationship with God your whole life. You know more than anyone else here, except Archie, of course.”  
He groaned inwardly at her not-so-subtle attempts at flattery that he felt were misplaced. He politely replied, “Thank you- but all of that is from God, it’s never me.” Trying to be polite, he added, “How long have you been a Christian?”  
“Oh, just since my adopted parents started going to church when I was in high school,” Zelena dismissed her own answer with a wave of her hand. “But I’ve read the Bible in its entirety twice.”  
“That’s impressive,” Robin told her with sincerity. He had only done that once, so for her to have finished the book cover-to-cover twice was quite a feat. The way she said it, though, left something to be desired. To his relief, he saw Killian wave him over to where he was talking to Will and Sandy. “If you’ll excuse me, I believe Killian wants me to join their discussion.”  
He walked away as she called after him, “See you soon, Robin!”, sliding gratefully into the seat beside Killian. “Thanks for that, I owe you one.”  
“Don’t mention it mate, she had you cornered- as I’m told they say around here, you looked like a deer in headlights,” the Irishman reassured him. “I’ll be happy to do it again anytime.”  
“That other new girl, on the other hand,” he continued. “She seems much more easy-going.”  
“How’d you figure that out? Have you even talked to her?” Robin demanded, suddenly very protective of Regina, though he wasn’t exactly sure why. Despite what she thought, he knew she was strong and could protect herself, and could certainly make her own decisions.  
Will laughed. “I wouldn’t advise going there Killian, Robin’s been infatuated with her since the moment we met her.”  
Killian chuckled, holding up his hands, a gesture of surrender. “Relax mate, I’m just making an observation. She’s all yours- blondes are more my type.”  
Robin grinned and sighed with relief. “I’ll say it again- thanks for rescuing me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I want a moment to talk to her before she leaves.”  
As Robin walked over to Regina, he pondered Killian’s parting words. Emma was blonde, and he had been looking for a way to suggest to Regina that she invite her friend to events like ANC and church. He resolved to ask her about it in the near future.  
He wrapped his arms around Regina from behind. She turned so they could have what they both considered a real hug. He knew he didn’t have many minutes left before she needed to walk back to campus for her mother to pick her up, so he asked, “Can I join you on your walk back to campus?”  
“Of course,” she readily agreed.   
As they walked out of Granny’s, Robin wondered what the remainder of the semester would bring. He could see Regina growing closer to the Lord every day, and knew that with Him, anything was possible.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
A few weeks later, Regina slid into her seat beside Robin in class. “What are you doing for Halloween?” she asked, giving him a hug.  
“Never really celebrated it,” Robin admitted, “but our dorm is doing trick-or-treating. Why do you ask?”  
Regina let out an exasperated sigh, exclaiming, “You’re missing out! The reason I’m asking is because I was thinking we could come up with costumes. I was thinking maybe Black Widow and the Hulk?”  
Robin’s features immediately shifted from an expression of skepticism to one of excitement as he considered her idea. “That’s an excellent idea,” he said. “but I don’t want to plan our costumes together, mine’s going to be a surprise. I want to see your reaction, you haven’t really seen me portray a character yet.”  
Regina laughed, knowing he was right. “Okay, you’re on.”  
“And I have one more suggestion,” he added, “I’ve been meaning to introduce Killian to Emma, so you should invite her as well.”  
“Okay,” Regina readily agreed. “That’ll be good, I haven’t seen her in awhile- and it’ll mean my mom won’t say no to me coming.”  
Robin looked like he was about to say something, but stayed silent, and at that moment, Malena walked into the room and the lesson began, so Regina never found out what he was about to tell her.  
********  
The night of Halloween was a Friday night, so she and Robin had decided to forego their study session in favor of meeting later with the rest of their friends to go trick-or-treating.   
At five o’clock sharp, Regina was outside of Emma’s door, costume and bag for collecting candy in hand. As she did every year, Mary Margaret had offered to help Regina with her hair and makeup, so it had become a tradition for the two girls to get ready together at Emma’s house for whatever Halloween celebration they had planned that year.   
“Emma tells me that you’re trick-or-treating at one of the college apartment buildings this year?” Emma’s mom asked as she pinned Regina’s hair up so it would fit under the wig she’d be wearing.   
Regina nodded. “Yeah, when I asked a friend what he was doing for Halloween, he said that he and our friends were going trick-or-treating, so he invited us to join them.”  
“He? What’s his name? What’s he like?” Mary Margaret asked, an excited sparkle in her eye that seemed all too omniscient for Regina’s liking.   
Regina laughed, her cheeks growing warm and turning red. Leave it to her best friend’s mom to notice that detail and try to turn it into more than it was. “His name’s Robin, we have a class together, so I’ve known him since right before classes started- but don’t get excited, we’re just friends. Close friends, but no more than that.”  
Emma laughed, a knowing smile on her face. “Don’t believe her Mom, she’s talked about almost nothing and no one else since the semester started. And they coordinated costumes for tonight too.”  
“We talk every day, of course he’s going to come up when I talk to you,” Regina protested. “And we didn’t really coordinate, just with what we are, he wouldn’t tell me what his costume actually looks like.”  
“If you say so…” Emma and her mom said in unison.  
Once they were ready, they heard the doorbell ring. “That’ll be Robin.” Regina said, jumping up and running to the door.  
When she opened it, it wasn’t Robin but the Hulk who was waiting for her. Robin had completely transformed into the character by making his skin green instead of buying a costume. Thankfully it was an unusually warm October night, so Regina didn’t think he’d be too cold.  
“Hulk want hug!” he roared, coming toward her with arms outstretched.   
Laughing, she went into his embrace. She gasped when he lifted her and spun her around before setting her back on the ground.   
“Hey! Be careful with my best friend!” Emma protested, a caution that was diminished by her laughter at Robin’s antics. She and her mom were standing in the entryway to the kitchen.  
Mary Margaret introduced herself to Robin, smiling all the while, and with that they were off.  
They met everyone at Robin and Will’s apartment. There were a variety of costumes, but Regina couldn’t help noticing Zelena’s. She had straightened her hair and was dressed as Kim Possible. She saw that Robin thought it was a good costume as well, as he chose that moment to walk over to her. Jealousy flared within Regina, and she attempted to distract herself by introducing Emma and Killian. But as she did, her gaze drifted to where Robin stood laughing with Zelena.  
Soon they left for trick-or-treating. Their bags were soon full of treats, and Will suggested they all come to his and Robin’s apartment for a candy exchange and to watch a scary movie.  
Regina took advantage of the candy swap to get rid of as much candy that wasn’t chocolate as possible. The guys teased her about it, saying she shouldn’t’ve taken anything that wasn’t chocolate so she didn’t have to go through this process. She brushed off their criticism, stating that it would’ve been rude to not take the candy, and Emma, being the loyal friend that she was, agreed with her.  
They all crashed on couches and chairs around the apartment to watch the movie with bowls of popcorn provided by the generous hosts at strategic points around the room. Although she wasn’t the type of girl to ever admit that she was scared, Regina felt chills go down her spine as she watched, despite the indifference she wished she felt.   
At one point during the movie, one of the main characters died. The vantage point from which the scene had been filmed allowed viewers to easily put themselves in the character’s shoes, and therefore experience the character’s death in as lifelike a way as possible on the big screen. Watching the scene, Regina’s terror grew to a degree that she could feel herself fighting the urge to scream as she imagined what her own death would feel like: struggling to breathe, her heart and limbs shutting down...   
Suddenly, something grabbed her from behind, wrapping around her neck and head. She screamed, thrashing on the couch to escape whatever was engulfing her.  
“Shhh,” Robin’s soothing voice whispered in her ear. His arms moved to rub her shoulders. “It’s all right, it’s only me.”  
Regina sat trembling violently, her head in her hands, trying to ease her rapid heart rate, the combination of fear and humiliation a dead weight on her shoulders that she couldn’t shake.  
“Hey,” Robin was in front of her now, crouching so his eyes looked directly into hers. “Let’s go to my room for a minute.”  
She took the hand he offered and followed him down the hall.   
Once they entered his room, he closed the door, then guided her to his bed. She collapsed on his soft bedspread and he sat on the floor beside her, his height ensuring that he still was able to look directly into her eyes.   
“I’m so, so sorry,” he told her. “You’re usually so receptive to my teasing that I thought you’d just laugh. I truly didn’t mean to scare you that badly, and I promise you it will never happen again. Can you ever forgive me?”  
She gazed into his eyes, filled with remorse and something else that was so tender it melted the part of her that had frozen with fear only moments earlier.   
“Of course,” she reassured him. Her hand reached out of its own accord to rest on his shoulder. “It’s not like you knew I’d have that reaction- like you said, I hadn’t reacted that way before.”  
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Do you want to talk about why it scared you so badly? If for no other reason than that I don’t do it again?”  
She closed her eyes, then nodded slowly. “I had an awful dream the night before my last day of being thirteen. In the dream, I was close to death, and the inability to breathe, the lack of control over my body…” she trailed off. “It was terrifying. So I’ve been scared of dying- the physical act of it, not afterwards anymore,” she added with a small smile, “since that night.”  
He nodded, seeming to immediately understand. “So the movie was too close to that for comfort then.”  
She nodded, then had a thought that had her bolting upright. “Robin, what’ll people think of me?! They must think I’m some immature wimp who can’t even handle a scary movie on Halloween…”  
He moved to sit on the bed beside her, offering her the comfort of his arms around her. “Let them try. If anyone dares to make fun of you for it, I’ll be happy to have more than a conversation with them,” he told her, the fire in his eyes so fierce that she couldn’t do anything but believe him.  
Regina’s heart swelled at his willingness to defend her. “But still, what if-“  
“What if I tell you my worst fear?” he interrupted. “Would that help ease your mind?”  
She considered it for a moment. “Maybe…”  
“Sharks,” he said simply.  
She was sure her face looked puzzled with the uttering of that one word. “Sharks? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging you or making fun of you in any way- I just don’t understand.”  
“It’s hard to put into words- just know that they do. So much so that I’ve never been able to watch The Little Mermaid. I like swimming in the ocean though, as long as my feet touch the ocean floor.”  
“I love Disney movies, but that one’s not my favorite,” Regina admitted. “The only things you’re missing out on are a few of the songs.”  
Robin laughed. “Good to know. Now, shall we rejoin the others?” he asked, rising and offering her his hand.  
Together, they walked back out to the main room. Regina thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the night, and as she lay awake at Emma’s later, she couldn’t help thinking that despite the one incident, this had been her favorite Halloween to date.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8   
A few weeks later, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, Regina was laying on her stomach on her bed, legs bent at the knee with her feet in the air. She rested her head in her hands, thinking back over the last two months and just how close she and Robin had become. She felt like they knew so much about each other, from their favorite colors and candies to their worst fears and their dream job after graduation (she felt that hers was boring, she just wanted to teach Spanish, whereas he wanted to either make a movie about the story in Exodus or be a pastor or both).   
Suddenly, she realized that there was one question she had never asked. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it sooner, as it was a seemingly obvious question to ask given the class they shared and the club they both loved. Grabbing her phone, she texted him: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?  
His response didn’t come to her until hours later, when she was sitting on the couch working on homework. A sharp pain tore through her chest when she read his answer: England, you? She knew he hadn’t been able to travel home since he had come to Storybrooke, but she had thought that he didn’t miss it too much. She knew that he Skyped his family frequently, and he always seemed his jovial self whenever she saw him, so she didn’t know that he ever got homesick.   
And while he wasn’t perfect, he was the best person she knew. His patience with her as she learned more about what they believed, the peace and joy that continually emanated from him, the kindness and faith that were at the core of who he was, and his love for everything around him reminded her of their Savior more and more each day. If anyone should never be downcast, it was him. She had never told him just how much his presence in her life meant to her and felt she had never thanked him enough for everything he had done for her.  
With the knowledge that he wasn’t traveling back to his homeland until just before Christmas, Regina had the beginnings of an idea…. This would require a conversation with Emma and her parents.  
Even though it was only their first day off, Robin was really enjoying Thanksgiving break. Although most of the students that lived in his apartment complex were international students, many of them were Mexican or Canadian, and therefore felt they were close enough to their native country to go home for the holidays, so there were only a handful of lingering students, which made the apartment complex more peaceful than it normally was.  
He, Will, and the other members of ANC, however, had all individually decided to stay. So to celebrate their freedom from studying on that Wednesday morning, all of the guys in their group were playing a video game in their apartment. He felt his phone vibrate, and glanced down, a wide smile starting to show when he saw it was from Regina. Hey, meet me at Emma’s around six tonight? I have something for you that I’ve been wanting to give you.  
Without a moment’s hesitation, he texted back: Absolutely, I’ll see you then!  
Later that night, when the door to the Nolans’ house opened before Robin, he was overwhelmed by too many delicious scents to name each one. Regina stood before him, her face radiant as she reached out her hand to pull him inside.  
He squeezed her hand, signaling for her to stop. He hugged her. “Hey.”  
“Hey,” she said, releasing him more quickly than he would have preferred. “Come on, I have something for you.”  
“I know, I can’t wait to find out what it is,” Robin responded, smiling. As they walked toward the kitchen, he noticed that the door that separated it from the front hall, which was normally left ajar, was closed.   
Remembering the aroma that had assailed his senses when he entered the house, he asked. “Regina… what is Emma’s mum cooking that she has to have the door closed?”  
“Do you trust me?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.  
He didn’t even hesitate before answering, “Of course!” Then his brow furrowed. “Wait… what does whatever’s in that kitchen have to do with me trusting you?”  
Her laughter filled the foyer. “Just come in,” she said, her mouth turning up into a small, secretive smile.   
When he opened the door, he heard voices yell, “SURPRISE!!!”  
Robin’s jaw dropped. The room was decked in streamers the colors of the Union Jack. One wall was covered floor-to-ceiling in a picturesque tableau of Big Ben, complete with a telephone booth. The table was covered with classic British favorites like shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, and bangers and mash, as well as biscuits. His gaze next landed on the stove, where a kettle stood, ready to be made into tea. Beside the stove stood most of the ingredients for knickerbocker glories, ready for dessert. The crowning piece of that table was a cake in the shape of one of London’s signature double-decker busses. Around the table stand Emma and her parents, as well as the rest of ANC, including Will, who had disappeared without a word an hour before Robin had left their apartment.  
Mouth still hanging open, he heard Killian shout, “Don’t just stand there mate, let’s eat!”   
Everyone laughed, gathering in a circle to pray. Robin heard Regina clear her throat beside him before her voice rang out. “I know that tonight is all about Great Britain, but one tradition some families have on Thanksgiving is for each person to share something they’re thankful for, and I thought since we have so many blessings, it’d be a shame for us to not do the same thing. Mine is for Jesus, what He did for us, and for all of you. The combination of all of that in my life this semester has taught me more about love than anything else has. And for Robin- without you and Will running into me that day, none of this would be possible.” He glanced over to see her eyes shining as she spoke. He squeezed her hand, a gesture he hoped would convey that if given the opportunity, he’d do it all over again if it meant he could have her in his life.  
They continued around the circle until it finished with Robin. “I’m thankful for tonight, that even though I’m in another country, I feel like this is my second home thanks to all of you.” He couldn’t resist squeezing Regina’s hand again as he looked directly at her before continuing. “And I’m more grateful than I can say that this night was arranged just because I said I was homesick.”  
After dinner, Zelena accosted Robin before he could walk into the family room with everyone else to watch a movie. Looping her arm through his and looking up at him with a nauseatingly adoring look on her face, she asked, “Robin, why don’t you sit with me?”  
Robin inwardly cringed. He didn’t want to sit with the redhead, but he could see that the seats on either side of Regina were taken by Alice and Belle. “All right,” he agreed. With a smug smile, she led him to two adjacent open seats. Throughout the movie, she kept trying to engage him in conversation, but he continually used paying attention to the movie as an excuse not to engage in conversation with her.   
Once the movie was over and everyone else left, Robin lingered, asking Will if he could ride back with the others. He found Regina sitting with Emma, Mary Margaret, Neal, and David on the couch. “Can I talk to you in private for a moment?” he asked, holding out his hand to help her off the couch. He knew from experience that it was extremely comfortable, and no matter how much she wanted to talk to him, she’d find it difficult to stand.  
Silently, she took his hand and followed him to the kitchen. Once there, Robin’s arms surrounded her in the longest hug they’ve shared to date. “Normally, where I come a simple ‘thank you’ would suffice. But tonight that doesn’t seem adequate. Would you understand what I mean if I tell you I love you?” he asked, his lips so close they brushed her ear. “ ‘Thank you’ isn’t enough, no one’s ever done anything like this for me before.”  
They were so close that he could hear her gasp, a sound that wouldn’t have been audible if he had been just a centimeter further from her.   
Her voice was warm and gentle when she answered, “Of course! God’s done so much through you in my life that I had to do something to thank you- and when you said you missed your home, I saw the perfect opportunity.”  
Suddenly, something occurred to him. “How did your mum ever agree to let you do this? I don’t imagine she would allow you to spend time away from family during a holiday.”  
“You’re right, she didn’t at first,” Regina told him. “It took explaining the situation and promising that we’re not dating and that I would do dishes for the remainder of break and wouldn’t do anything else except things with her for the rest of the time we’re off to get her to agree.   
“But even if she hadn’t,” she continued, her eyes growing soft with a warmth he didn’t dare to label, “I wasn’t going to let her stop me from doing this, it was too important to me. You are too important to me.”  
Robin held her tightly, thankful for the strength he saw in her actions. He remembered what he had seen from the moment he first met Mrs. Mills and wondered when he should tell Regina. But now didn’t seem like the right moment, not when they had had such a lovely evening.   
Pulling back slightly, but still holding her, he said, “Well, I couldn’t be more thankful that you did. This has been my favorite night of my time in Storybrooke by far, and it’s all because of you.” Feelings that he didn’t want to name just yet surged within him to the point of overflowing. Before he could think twice about his actions, he ducked in to gently kiss her cheek, reveling in the feel of her soft skin against his lips. “Again, thank you for this night milady, I’ll never forget it.”  
He could see her blush even as he walked out the door, his thoughts spinning.  
On the drive home and long into the night as he tossed and turned, he thought about his words, actions, and how he had felt that night. Until he had spoken them, he didn’t realize that the words he had spoken as a way of showing her his appreciation were more true than he realized. He had fallen in love with Regina Mills, and he didn’t know how they would be together, but he had faith that it would happen someday. He prayed that that day would be soon.


	9. Chapter 9

For the entirety of Thanksgiving break after she threw the surprise party for Robin, all Regina could think about was the events of that night: Robin’s interactions with Zelena that only confused her, his initial reaction to what she had done for him, and especially what had happened between them after everyone had left.   
She spent every waking moment wondering what it all meant. On the one hand, months ago, after they had defeated the demon in Mal, he had told her that he wanted to be with her. But since that day, Zelena had come into their lives- and Regina couldn’t help noticing that when their entire group of friends was together, whenever Robin wasn’t spending time with one of the other guys or her, he was always with Zelena. However, it was entirely plausible that those interactions were all Zelena’s design. It was obvious from the night they had met her that she had set her sights on Robin. But it was also possible that Zelena’s efforts had not been in vain and Robin genuinely liked her as more than a friend.   
Regina knew she had felt an instant connection to him from the moment he and Will had barreled into her on that fateful Friday. And she had thought he had felt it too, at least before they met Zelena. But now she wasn’t so sure…  
And part of her uncertainty stemmed from the moment he had kissed her cheek after what they had come to call their British Feast. If she only took his words from that night into account, she would be able to see it as solely a platonic action borne out of his gratitude. However, due to their proximity in that moment, she had seen something in his eyes that led her to believe that his intentions were not just platonic in that moment.  
The same couldn’t be said of the moment he told her he loved her. That spoke only of a platonic love- he had said as much, hadn’t he? But at the same time, he had told her in the first week of the semester that he wanted to be with her… This was all too confusing, so confusing that she almost wished she could listen to her mother’s favorite mantra about men since her father died: Love is weakness.   
Each of these thoughts were still swarming through Regina’s mind a week later on the next-to-last Friday of the semester, and although thankfully Robin was oblivious, she couldn’t fool Mal. Teacher and student had grown close over the semester, and she could see Regina’s preoccupation that distracted her from participating fully in class activities. After class, she called out, “Regina, ¿puedo verte en la oficina después de clase por favor?” Regina, can I see you in my office after class please?   
“Do you want me to wait for you?” Robin asked, a concerned look clouding his expression, still oblivious to the true reason Mal wanted to see her.  
She shook her head. “No, it’s ok, go ahead. I’ll meet you there.”   
“Are you sure?” Robin asked. “I don’t want your mother to have my head for if she ever found out I let you walk to Granny’s on your own.”  
She let out an exasperated sigh. He’d turn into her mother if he wasn’t careful, and that was the last thing she wanted. At the same time though, his protectiveness always came across as sweet, never excessive like her mother’s. “I’m fine, now go,” she said, gently pushing him toward the door.  
Regina walked up to Mal’s desk. The older woman gathered her books, sweeping them into her bright red bag before she beckoned to Regina. “Follow me.”  
Before Regina knew what was happening, she was following Mal down the same path she and Robin had walked months earlier on the first Friday of the semester. Once they were in Mal’s office, she said, “Close the door behind you and have a seat, Regina.”   
The younger woman did as she was told, her blue bookbag making a thump as her heavy books hit the floor. “Why did you want to see me?” she asked her professor,   
Mal smiled, folding her hands on her desk. “I’m just worried about you, Regina. You seemed so distracted in class today- in fact, you’ve seemed distracted ever since we got back from break. Normally, you’re the best student in the class, but you’ve been participating less recently, and your work this week hasn’t been what I’ve come to expect from you. Is there anything wrong? And if so, tell me how I can help. I want you to succeed as much as I know you do.”  
Regina’s fingers clenched into fists nervously. “Well…” She didn’t know what to do. Part of her was hesitant to share what had been happening with Mal. She was her professor, after all. But at the same time, they were close in age, and had grown close over the course of the semester, and now had a relationship that was more that of friends than teacher and student.   
Finally, she relented and told Mal everything. Everything, that is, except the kiss. While it was just a kiss on the cheek, somehow she knew that that detail should just remain between the two of them.  
Malena sat back, her fingers coming together loosely on the desk in front of her. “From what I’ve seen when you two are in class, I think there’s no reason to doubt how Robin feels about you, seemingly platonic intentions or not. But why don’t you pray?” she asked her student.  
Regina’s eyes, which had fluttered shut due to the exhaustion of the thoughts that were incessantly bombarding her, flew open. “I didn’t even think of that!” she exclaimed.   
Mal laughed. “Sometimes the most obvious course of action isn’t so clear when we’re confused or distracted. Don’t worry, it’s completely normal.”  
Regina smiled, relieved that now she at least had a plan. “We’re having a Christmas party next week- maybe my prayers will be answered by then. Thanks, Mal!” she said over her shoulder as she opened the door and walked out of her office.  
********   
The week leading up to the Christmas party, they had decided to do a Secret Santa gift exchange. Regina had drawn Zelena, and she had no idea what to get the girl who was her competition for Robin’s affections. She finally settled on small gifts that were all various beauty products: lip gloss, chapstick, eyeliner, and a compact mirror, all leading up to the larger gift of a blush set, complete with several brushes and foundation in addition to several shades of blush.   
She left each gift in the area designated for it in Mal’s office. As a professor, she had a larger office than Archie, who worked in the university’s counseling services, so she had offered the club a shelf where they could leave their gifts for each other.  
When she looked to her designated place on the shelf, right next to the window, she found small gifts that showed just how well her Secret Santa knew her. A box of chocolates in a variety of flavors, a map of the world with all of the homelands of ANC members marked on it, a shirt that had been tie-dyed in varying shades of blue, and a homemade book of recipes each waited for her, causing her to smile each day that she found them. The book of   
********  
It was the afternoon of ANC’s Christmas party. Regina, Belle, and Mulan were busy decorating the room they were using for the party, then were going to meet the other girls at Emma’s house to get ready. The attire for the party was semi-formal, since the party included dancing, and while many of the girls wanted plenty of time to get ready, the three decorators hadn’t wanted to waste time making themselves look beautiful, instead focusing on ensuring that the room’s décor matched the festive atmosphere of the season.  
“How long do you think it’ll take the boys to get ready?” Belle asked rhetorically.  
Mulan laughed. “Them? No time at all! I’m sure they’re all still either playing video games at Robin and Will’s or working on homework- probably the former. They’ll start getting ready fifteen minutes before they need to leave.”  
Regina chuckled, picturing a frantic Robin pulling a flustered Will putting his shoe on out the door. “You’re probably right. Although they do have a point- after all, look at us compared to Zelena, Emma, and the other girls. You don’t see them here, they’re all busy getting ready. So maybe they just have their priorities straight.”  
“True,” Belle acknowledged. Regina watched as a sly grin slowly spread on the brunette’s face. “I wonder if any of the boys will ask us to dance or if the dance floor will be separated by gender. Normally, I wouldn’t guess that any of them would want to dance at all, but I’ve always wondered…”  
“What?” the others asked.  
“Oh, come on, Regina,” Belle sounded a little agitated as she replied. “You and Robin have been inseparable since we met- longer, if what Alice told me about the early days of your friendship is true.”  
Regina was indignant. “No, we really haven’t,” she refuted, thinking of Robin’s interactions with Zelena.   
The knowing look in Belle’s eyes couldn’t have vexed Regina further. She didn’t want to think about the possibility that Robin still liked her. If she did, it would only get her hopes up, and hope was just as dangerous as her mother claimed love was, if not more so. If she got her hopes up too much, they could easily come crashing down around her, leaving her devastated and heartbroken.   
“Let’s get back to work,” she said curtly, effectively putting an end to the conversation. “We don’t have all day, this place needs to look like a winter wonderland in four hours.” She looked around. “Now, where should we put these wreathes?”  
********  
Even though she had been one of the people that helped decorate the room for the ANC Christmas celebration, Regina couldn’t help being amazed at the final results when she walked in later that night.   
She stood for a moment at the door, taking it all in. Garlands graced the windowsills, while candles sat at the center of each one. Candles also sat at the middle of each table, surrounded by pinecones that sparkled with the glitter she, Belle, and Mulan had covered them with the weekend before. The tablecloths alternated between red and green, covering the small tables for three that would allow the group to get to know individual members better. There would be a lottery at the beginning of the event to determine who sat at each table. A photo booth stood by the stage. The crowning piece of the whole setup was the stage itself, which was covered in glitter and garlands. Pots of poinsettias lined the stage, filling the room with their aroma. A backdrop that depicted Mary and Joseph gazing adoringly at baby Jesus resting in Mary’s arms brought it all together.  
Killian stepped up to the mic to read the names of the groups of three that will dine at each of the five tables that have been set up. Regina could tell that no one’s surprised when Killian smirks as he announces that he will be joined at his table by Emma and Will. It’s an open secret to everyone but Emma that Killian has had his eyes set on her since the night they met. Regina had hoped she would be at a table with Mulan and Merida- both girls who she wanted to know better, as Mulan was strong, a trait she wanted to emulate, and Merida was new to the group- but was disappointed when they got paired with Peter as their third dinner companion. To make matters worse, Robin was put at a table with Zelena and Gold. Regina hypothesized that Zelena would stop at nothing to have Robin, and knew that while Ron Gold had a polished exterior, he always seemed to have hidden motives that mystified her. She had a feeling that if Zelena asked Gold to be a co-conspirator, he wouldn’t hesitate to oblige her. The next-to-last table went to Alice, Belle, and Archie, leaving Regina with Sandy and Graham at the final table.  
All through dinner, instead of engaging in conversation with Graham and Sandy, both of whom are vying individually for her attention, Regina watched Robin’s table. She was correct in assuming that Zelena would take advantage of the opportunity. Her had rested too close to Robin’s for Regina’s comfort, and she could see her laughing uproariously at something Robin had said. She glanced over at Robin, trying to gauge his reaction, but his expression was illegible, even to her. It was disappointing, as she had thought she had learned enough about him and spent enough time with him to know what he was thinking at any given moment just by reading the look on his face. But apparently, she was mistaken.  
After dinner, their final gifts were exchanged. Once she approached Zelena to give her the final gift, Zelena accepted her gift from Regina with all the pomp and circumstance Regina had anticipated. She treated Regina’s gift as though it were nothing, insignificant compared to all her other possessions, leaving Regina feeling slighted and underappreciated.  
Once she walked away from Zelena, she felt arms slide around her, and hands covered her eyes. “Robin,” she said so softly that she was sure he would know she was smiling.  
“Milady.” Suddenly he was kneeling in front of her with a package in his hands. “I humbly ask you to accept this token of our friendship.”  
Taking the small gift from him, she opened it eagerly. A small gasp fell from her lips as her efforts revealed an ornament- but not just any ornament. Like the map, shirt, and recipe book, the ornament had the personal touch of being homemade. Tinsel surrounded a backdrop of red. A picture of the two of them dressed as the Hulk and Black Widow from Halloween rested in the center. In the picture, the two of them were lost in an embrace, completely oblivious to the fact that their private moment had been caught on camera. If she had had any doubt that at least a part of Robin liked her as more than a friend, that doubt had just been swept away as she looked at the way he held her and looked at her. The only question remaining was: how deep did that affection go? Was it enough for him to resist Zelena?  
“Robin,” she whispered. “This is incredible! How did you get this?”  
“Alice,” he replied, an answer she should have guessed. Alice’s creative outfits and hairstyles were a testament to her artistic abilities. “When I saw it, I knew you had to have it, and then when I drew your name for Secret Santa…”  
“It was the perfect opportunity to give it to me,” Regina finished his sentence. She threw her arms around him. Chuckling, she told him. “Now I see what you meant at Thanksgiving- this is another moment when ‘thank you’ doesn’t seem like enough. So how can I show you my gratitude?”  
He smiled, stepping away from her to hold out his hand. “Dance with me, milady?”  
Her heart fluttered, both from nervousness and the thought of dancing with him. “I’m terrible at it- but for you, always.”  
He drew her out onto the dance floor. The first song was upbeat, so while they were dancing together, they weren’t actually touching, a fact she lamented throughout the song. But as if someone had read her thoughts, a slow song was next on the list.   
Robin pulled her in close, his hands surrounding her waist, while her hands encircled his. In the beginning, they slowly danced in a circle, her head resting on his chest, his cheek on top of her head. They pulled apart, and she held one of his hands in hers. She pulled away from him, then spun in, all the while holding his hand, so that she was literally wrapped in his arm, while the other held her from the opposite side.   
At one point during the dance, he leaned in close, whispering, “You look beautiful.”  
She looked down. She was wearing a red dress that hugged her figure, falling to just below her knees. The sweetheart neckline allowed for her to accentuate the outfit with a snowflake necklace she had borrowed from Emma. “You’re definitely handsome- but me, beautiful? Really?”  
“Really,” he assured her, his breath on her cheek sending shivers down her spine.  
More than once as they danced, she discovered she was lost in the moment. As many times as they had embraced in the past, it wasn’t until the dance they shared that she realized just how much she had come to love him in the few months they had known each other. Now if only she didn’t have competition for his love.  
And speaking of the competition…  
Zelena was glaring at them. If Regina had had any reservations about assuming Zelena wanted to be with Robin, they were obliterated by the daggers shooting from Zelena’s eyes as the song ended. The look she was getting could have rivaled the heat of a volcano.  
Robin let go of her and followed her gaze, clearly sensing something was amiss. “What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing,” Regina replied quickly, shaking her head.   
She could tell from his face that he didn’t buy it, so she forced herself to shove worries about Zelena into the recesses of her mind. She wouldn’t let her ruin what had been a few of the best moments of her life so far. “I promise,” she reassured him. “It’s okay.”  
He seemed to believe her that time, and as she paid attention as he interacted with everyone for the rest of the night, especially her and Zelena, she wondered if her hopes and prayers would be fulfilled or destroyed. But she somehow knew that no matter what, she would always have his friendship, and she didn’t know what she’d do without it.  
********  
“So, have you thought about what you’re doing over the holidays? Alice asked her on their last day of class before finals. Over the course of the semester, the two friends had become close. Regina loved Alice’s free spirit and wisdom- while one never knew what would come out of Alice’s mouth in any given moment, she was almost always right in any situation.  
“Great question- hang out with Emma, I guess. I’ll miss you all way too much though, you’re basically my family now.” Regina admitted.   
Her words couldn’t have described how she felt more accurately. She loved the close-knit group she was a part of, and knew that even Sandy, who she didn’t talk to often, would do anything to help her. With them gone, she would only have her mother and her discouraging comments for company for the six weeks of winter break.  
“I bet you’ll miss Robin most- am I right?” Alice teased her, grinning.  
“No!” Regina protested so quickly that Alice did was laugh. “I’ll miss everyone, what makes you think that Robin is in his own separate category from all of you?”  
“Oh, I don’t know- maybe the fact that you two have been inseparable since we met you more than three months ago.” Alice laughed. “Don’t worry though, I won’t say anything to him if you don’t want me to- but just so you know, it’s obvious to everyone else.”  
“It was obvious to him too- until Zelena came along,” Regina muttered.  
Alice’s laughter stopped abruptly. “Is that why you haven’t done anything about it? Because you think he likes her?”  
Regina simply nodded. “Only partially, but yes.”  
“Hm…” Alice pondered, a gleam in her eye that Regina knew all too well. The “wild child,” as the group called her, was always coming up with seemingly crazy plans that always managed to turn out well. On the weekend before Halloween, she had enlisted Mulan and Regina’s help to cover Robin and Will’s apartment in toilet paper, and had suggested they do the same with glitter for the holidays.  
“I know that look- you have your scheming face,” Regina pointed out unnecessarily. “What are you plotting?”  
“Let’s just say that by the start of the new year, we’ll know whether Robin’s heart has been captivated by a fiery Brit or a sweet brunette from the States,” Alice told her. “Here’s what I’m thinking…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your feedback!


	10. Chapter 10

For the first week and a half of break, Regina was too distracted by her plans for after Christmas to fully enjoy the traditions she usually participated in with gusto each year.  
  
Emma noticed her lack of enthusiasm on the first day of break while they were making their annual gingerbread house. They had elected to construct a church this year, to commemorate all of the events that had changed their lives that semester. For Regina wasn’t the only one who had changed; Emma had too. As Robin had with her, Killian had taken Emma under his wing, helping her navigate the Bible and all the treasures that could be found there.  
  
The two frenemies were an interesting pair. Unlike Robin and Regina, who always supported each other and rarely quarreled, Killian and Emma were consistently at each other’s throats. No matter what the topic, they always found something to disagree on, whether it was the best prank to pull on Halloween or what the group should study next. But at the end of each argument, Regina spotted Emma with Killian’s arm around her shoulders, a drink in her hand, talking and laughing like nothing had happened just a few moments before.  
  
“What’s gotten into you?” Emma asked. “You’re usually the one making sure you do as much as possible when we make our gingerbread house. This year, I have to beg you to do anything. What’s wrong?”  
  
“Nothing’s wrong- the exact opposite actually,” Regina couldn’t keep the grin off her face anymore. “If I’m going to tell you more, you have to promise me you won’t tell Robin- or anyone else from ANC, just in case they let something slip.”  
  
“I promise,” Emma swore, making a cross over her heart to show her sincerity.  
  
“Okay. Alice said her parents don’t celebrate Christmas, so she’s staying here until two days after Christmas. When she flies home, she wants me to go with her to surprise Robin. They apparently only live a half hour away from each other, so it’ll be easy for us to spend time together. She’s convinced Robin loves me, and thinks this will get him to admit how he feels. And even if he doesn’t immediately, she says she has another plan to convince him to admit it.”  
  
Emma burst out laughing, no doubt thinking of the various schemes their friend pulled off over the course of the semester. Emma had been the target of some of those plots- Alice was trying to play matchmaker between her and Killian as well, and many of the pranks she came up with always involved the two of them working together. “Of course she does. Doesn’t she always? So, what’s the problem?”  
  
“Convincing my mother- what else?” Regina grumbled. “Alice said to tell her it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity- but they’re all here for at least another year, so that’s not really the case.”  
  
“Hm…” Emma mused. “Emphasize the educational aspect of it. Get them to take you to all the sights- you know, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, all the famous places that are rich in history and educational value. That way, she’ll see the lessons you can learn by going. And Alice is coming with you, right? So she won’t need to worry about you getting lost in the airport or anything like that.”  
  
“True- she’s not coming back with me though, so what do I do?”  
  
“Hm…” Emma extracted her phone from her pocket, typing furiously. “Got it! Your mom would have you fly from a major airport, right?”  
  
“Definitely,” Regina agreed. “Especially considering the destination- we’d have to fly from a larger airport to get there.  
  
“Okay, perfect! Lots of airports and airlines have people that can sort of be your escort, help you find your gate in the airport. If you do that, your mom won’t worry quite as much when you’re on your own! Oh, and I definitely wouldn’t mention that you’re primarily going to try to win Robin’s heart.”  
  
“I don’t even know if I’m trying to win his heart, I just want to know how he feels, because the mixed signals are just too confusing,” Regina clarified firmly, trying to convince herself as much as Emma. “But that… just might work! But at the same time though, I hate leaving it to chance- how do we know for sure that it will?”  
  
Emma threw her arms around her, so close that she could feel Emma’s temple touch hers. “We don’t. We just need to have faith.”  
  
********  
  
“Mom?” Regina asked hesitantly, clasping her hands in her lap at the dinner table later that night. Their meal of lasagna- Regina’s favorite- has been cleared from the table, and mugs of hot beverages- tea for Regina, coffee for Cora- sat in front of them.  
  
“What is it, dear?” Cora asked, the note of resignation clear in her voice. It was clear from her tone that she knew her daughter wanted to ask her something that she would likely be unwilling to give.  
  
“How would you feel if I go to the U.K. when Alice returns there after Christmas? Her parents don’t celebrate, so she’s not going home until two days later, and they invited me to stay for a week, not including travel days. She knows to help me find things, and will help me every step of the way. The trip would be entirely educational, I’d learn about another country, their rich culture and history. And yes, I’ll be coming back on my own, but Emma found out that airports have people who can help me find the right gates and anything else, like food for the plane,” Regina added, knowing her mother would be nervous about her first time flying on her own. Mother and daughter had gone on trips across the country to California, and down the coast to Florida, but never out of the country, and Cora had always been there. She had also used knowledge from her Spanish class to embellish the educational aspect of the trip.  
  
Cora’s lips pursed, then settled into a thin line, her disapproval clear. “Regina, I don’t think you’re ready for that. And are you sure that these people at the airport would definitely be there to help? What if they don’t show up at the appointed time? And what about when you’re there? That girl- Alice?- will look away for one moment, and you won’t see when to step onto the road from the sidewalk- or worse, you’ll try to cross the street when the traffic light is red-”  
  
“I know how to read a traffic light, Mother!” Regina interrupted, trying desperately to keep her temper in check. Getting angry would not help convince her mother to let her go. But her irritation seeped through when she called her “Mother” instead of “Mom,” like she usually did.  
  
Cora sighed. “You just don’t understand, Regina. You haven’t been on your own, so you haven’t had practice with any important life skills you’ll need one day after you graduate.”  
  
Tears came to Regina’s eyes, but she fought to keep her voice steady. The only reason I haven’t had those opportunities is because of you she thought bitterly. She was so tired of her mother thinking she could never do anything. If she kept this up, Regina would be thirty before she ever got to do anything on her own. “You don’t know that- you’ve never given me the chance to try! I can do this. It’s not like we don’t have the money.” Regina added as an afterthought, voicing what she knew to be true. The reason she had never been to Granny’s was because her mother’s standards were too high to eat in anything but the finest establishments. She took every chance to flaunt the wealth that being the mayor of Storybrooke gave her.  
  
Cora mulled it over for another moment, Regina waiting with bated breath.  
  
“All right, Regina. You can go.”  
  
Regina got up and ran around the table to hug her mother, but she held up her hand. “Wait. You may go- on two conditions.”  
“What?” Regina asked apprehensively, dreading what she would say.  
  
“First, you must check in with me every day. You’ll have a phone plan, but messaging me via Facebook is also acceptable. And second, I’m sure you’re going to see Robin while you’re there. Absolutely no being with him on your own- you spend time with both him and Alice, or not at all.”  
  
Regina’s face brightened as she contemplated the conditions. They were better than she had hoped. The one problem was, she was sure Robin would never admit any feelings he had for her while Alice was around. She had a feeling that her friend would find a way to become scarce for a few moments, though…  
  
“Deal,” she readily agreed, hugging her mother. “Thank you!”  
  
********  
  
As Regina had predicted, there were no mishaps at the airport. Her mother had used her connections in Washington D.C. to expedite her passport, so she was able to show both that and her boarding pass to the flight attendant as they boarded the plane.  
  
As they took off, Regina looked out the window, watching the clouds go by. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. Suddenly, doubts were crowding her mind, each more horrific to contemplate than the last. What if he didn’t want to see her and spend time with his family instead? Did he like her more than Zelena? And finally: did she want to risk losing their friendship, the best she had ever had apart from Emma, for the sake of romance?  
  
Looking over at Alice, it was obvious that her friend knew exactly what thoughts wreaked havoc in her mind. She laughed. “Relax, Regina, it’ll be fine!”  
  
Regina sank low in her seat until her face was level with the pocket on the back of the seat in front of her. “Easy for you to say, your friendship- and lack of a love life- isn’t on the line.”  
  
“Re-gi-na.” Alice said slowly, putting her hands on Regina’s shoulders and shaking her a little. “There is no way this isn’t going to work. All right? Even with your mom’s rule, I’ll find a way to leave the two of you alone, and everything will work out exactly the way we planned it.”  
  
The look Regina gave her could have scorched a glacier. “If you say so. But if it doesn’t work, be prepared.”  
  
“I don’t need to be- but all right, if you say so,” Alice replied with a smug confidence Regina wished she possessed.  
  
********  
  
They went to visit Robin the afternoon of their arrival. Alice had insisted that they not waste any time, so once they had flown in and said a quick hello to Alice’s mother, they left.  
  
The sly future educator had discovered that, ironically enough, Robin lived in Nottingham, three hours north of London in the valley of the river Trent. The house itself was on the north end of town, so close to Sherwood Forest that Regina and Alice drove on roads that were more tree-lined with each passing mile, making the roads so dark on the dreary day that Alice had to turn the headlights on as they drove. Just before they turned on the Locksleys’ street, they passed the Forest Recreation Ground. Robin had told Alice to look for a one-story brick cottage with a stone chimney, and when they successfully found it, they pulled into the driveway.  
  
Regina watched as Alice stood on Robin’s front porch. She was hiding off to the side of the house, watching from the bushes so that she could surprise Robin when the opportune moment arrived.  
  
Alice knocked. A woman who looked remarkably similar to Robin answered the door. She turned her head to call into the house, “Robin, Alice is here!”  
  
“Why don’t you come in, honey?” Ms. Locksley asked Alice.  
  
Regina grinned from her hiding place in the bushes as she saw Alice’s scheming face hidden under a polite, demure exterior. She was smiling sweetly at Ms. Locksley, but her eyes were dancing, gleaming with Regina knew to be the thrill of events coming together according to Alice’s mischievous but brilliant plan. “Actually, could Robin come out first? I have a surprise for him- but don’t tell him, I don’t want him to suspect anything,” she murmured so softly that Regina could barely hear her from where she was crouching in the mulch.  
  
“Of course, dear.” Ms. Locksley smiled, the look in her eyes hinting at the origin of the playful side of Robin’s personality. She turned and walked in the house, telling her son to come to the door.  
  
He appeared in the doorway, and even from her vantage point, Regina could tell he was confused that Alice hadn’t just followed his mum inside. Alice’s knowing smile matched her own when after he hugged her, he asked, “Why are we just standing out here? Come inside and have some tea.”  
  
Alice responded, “Not yet- I have a surprise for you first.”  
  
Robin’s brow furrowed. “All right… what is it?”  
  
Regina grinned. That was her cue. She stood and ran up the steps to Robin, throwing herself at him. He caught her instinctively, enveloping her in his arms. Then he seemed to look down and register what had happened- or rather, who he was holding. She felt his heart beating as rapidly as a hummingbird’s wings as he gasped. “Regina?!?”  
  
She pulled back just enough to grin up at him. “The one and only.”  
  
He pulled her back in again, holding her tightly. “I can’t believe you’re here. I missed you, so much,” he whispered, his lips brushing her hair as he spoke.  
  
“Me too,” she whispered back. “More than you know.”  
  
His face lit up until it rivaled the Christmas tree that she could see in one of the rooms beyond. “Would you like to come in for some tea? Or I believe we just so happen to have the makings for peppermint hot chocolate if you’re interested,” he added, grinning down at her. He knew it was the one mint chocolate thing she enjoyed. “I believe we’re also going caroling tonight. Care to join us?” he asked, turning to Alice to include her in the invitation.  
  
Alice spoke up eagerly for the pair of them. “We would thank you!”  
  
********  
  
By the end of a night spent in their company, Regina discovered that Robin’s mother was a gem. She welcomed both Alice and Regina into her home, telling Regina excitedly how much she’d heard about her and how excited she was to finally meet her.  
  
Over a pot of tea and a plate of cookies, the three friends rehashed all that had transpired during their two weeks apart. Regina downplayed her holiday, telling the others that the days leading up to Christmas, usually so full of activity and joy for her, were nothing in comparison to that long-awaited afternoon. She couldn’t help but notice the look in Robin’s eyes as he looked at her in that moment, and wondered if he had longed for their reunion as much as she had.  
  
They went caroling with some of Robin’s neighbors. Robin had told her animatedly that his friends Tuck and John were on the list of houses where they would stop, and they might go to Will’s house as well, as he lived only a few minutes further down the road from Tuck.  
  
As they were caroling, she met his friends. Tuck was short and stocky, barely taller than her, while John was a giant of a man who towered above her. After the group had sung a Christmas carol at each house, both boys teased Robin relentlessly when he introduced her, which gave her hope that maybe Alice’s plot wasn’t as crazy as she had first thought.   
  
“So, this is the girl you’ve talked about nonstop, is it, Robin?” John teased.   
  
“Oh no,” Regina groaned as Robin glared at his friend. “What exactly did he say about me?”   
  
“Nothing bad at all, I promise!” Robin protested, throwing his arms around her without breaking eye contact with John.   
  
John laughed. “It’s true, he’s had nothing but good things to say about you since the moment he laid eyes on you,” he assured Regina. “I was only referring to the fact that he never mentioned how beautiful you are.”   
  
Even in the dim light that shone from John’s house, Regina could see Robin’s cheeks grow as red as she was sure her own were at that moment. “John…” he said warningly.   
  
John burst out laughing again, holding up his hands in surrender and backing into his house. “Relax mate, I’m just joking. She’s all yours.”  
  
Regina didn’t think it was possible, but her cheeks became even warmer than they already were. Did John mean what she thought he meant? He sounded almost as if…   
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by Robin, who stepped partly in front of her. “All right, we’ll be heading on our way now. Bye John, see you later. Maybe next time you won’t be trying to embarrass me?”   
  
“We’ll see,” John answered, winking at Regina.   
  
As they walked back to Robin’s, they made plans for the week. Alice and Regina updated Robin on Cora’s conditions for allowing her to go on the trip, so he suggested learning about the surrounding countryside. They could explore Nottingham Castle, and venture into Wales or Scotland one day.   
  
The last suggestion made Regina laugh. “My only request if we go to Scotland: can we not have haggis please? I found out what it is thanks to a multicultural fair in the fifth grade and I have no desire to try it!”   
  
Alice and Robin burst out laughing simultaneously. “You’re the guest, so we’ll do whatever you want,” Robin said, throwing his arm around her as they walked.  
  
“Speak for yourself,” Alice said. “I have things I want to show her while she’s here- but if you don’t want to join us, that’s fine with me, I’ll just keep her all to myself,” she teased.  
  
“No, no, I’ll do anything- I want to spend as much time as possible with her while she’s here, same as you,” Robin declared.  
His comment made Regina smile. Maybe Alice’s crazy plan would work, after all- but only time would tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading- let me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

After days of sightseeing, New Year’s Eve was upon them. They had spent their time exploring places that even Robin and Alice hadn’t explored before. As locals, they hadn’t felt the need to visit something they took for granted. But with Regina in their midst, they took their time discovering everything Great Britain had to offer. They visited Nottingham Castle, as they had planned, as well as took day trips to Scotland and London, each three to four hours from their location, so it was within a day’s ride from them.

They had decided to spend New Year’s Eve at a party at Will’s house, so Regina and Alice would meet everyone there. Robin, gentleman that he was, had offered to have the girls meet him at his house so that the three of them could ride together, which would save Alice some driving time and gas. However, Alice and Regina’s plan depended on Alice and Robin driving in separate cars, so they told Robin that the gas and additional driving wasn’t a problem, insisting that they meet him at Will’s party.

The party began with dinner, so the girls spent the afternoon getting ready. Although she usually had an aversion to caring what she looked like due to never believing she was beautiful thanks to her mother’s constant attempts to fix everything about her, Alice claimed that tonight was too important- so while she was sure Robin loved her for her personality, she reluctantly agreed that making sure she looked her best for the night’s celebration was necessary.

Alice enlisted her mother’s assistance to help them both prepare for the evening. She wore makeup as well, so that it wouldn’t be suspicious that only Regina wore makeup when it was something neither of the girls habitually did.

Once her makeover was complete, Regina put on her dress. Wanting to stand out from the crowd, who would likely mostly be wearing black, Regina had chosen a red dress with cap sleeves and a scoop neckline that fell to just below her knees. The dress fanned out into a full skirt, making Regina feel more confident because it would help hide the faults that her mother was always critiquing her for.

When Robin opened the door, Regina could tell that he was speechless. Coincidentally, he matched her in a bright red polo shirt with jeans. 

If the brightness of his smile was any indication, he noticed that they matched as well. “Did you secretly get my mum’s number and text her to ask what I was wearing?” he asked, laughter dancing in his eyes. 

“What can I say, I guess great minds really do think alike,” she quipped.

Laughing, he led them into Will’s house.

Once they were in the house, Regina tried to focus on the plan, but tried to enjoy herself at the same time It was somewhat challenging, however, as she and Alice had their plan timed exactly, so she had to be aware of each passing minute. She was particularly attentive to the time as the new year drew nearer.

At 10:20, she put her hand to her forehead and walked from the main floor where everyone was dancing over to a table where chairs were set up for guests to rest. She hoped that Robin would follow her, as their plan didn’t leave much extra time for any mishaps.

She tried to hide her smile as she saw him walk over, still grimacing to keep up the act. “Are you all right? What can I do to help?”

“It’s just a headache, I’ll be fine,” she pretended to assure him. Secretly she was hoping he wouldn’t buy it so their plan would work.

He cocked his head to the side for a moment, pondering what to do, how to help her. That’s one of the things she loves about him, how considerate he always is. “Do you want to go back to my house and turn on a film, perhaps? That way you’ll be somewhere quiet, so your headache won’t have any additional stimulants. My mum has plans for the evening, so she won’t be home. And since we drove separately, Alice can stay if she wants.”

Regina made it look like she was considering his proposal, then nodded slowly, trying not to seem to ecstatic that their plan was working. “If you’re sure…”

He nodded quickly. “Of course. Anything for you, you know that.”

As they walked away from Alice and Will after saying their farewells, Regina spotted Alice grinning at her with a gleam in her eye once Robin’s back was turned. Everything was going according to plan, and right on schedule.

Once they were in the car, Robin turned to Regina. “What movie would you like to watch when we get back?”

She cleared her throat, bowing her head as a blush came to her cheeks. Hopefully, she could pull this ruse off. “I actually brought Beauty and the Beast- the original- with me. You know me, I’m always looking for an excuse to watch it with someone,” she finished with a laugh. 

He chuckled, knowing how true that was, glancing away from the road at the next stoplight to grin at her. “I do indeed- but I’ll only watch it if you don’t quote the entire movie. Singing and quoting during songs is all right, but let the actors say their lines. It’s what they’ve trained their entire lives to do, after all.”

Regina bit her lip. That’ll ruin the plan! she groaned inwardly, trying not to panic. As quickly as she could while trying to appear as nonchalant as possible, she amended, “What if I promise to only quote the really good lines? And sing, of course,” she added rapidly, not wanting to give up chances to sing no matter how desperately she wanted their plan to work.

He nodded in acquiescence. “Deal.”

As they drove, she asked him, “So, what are you looking forward to most about the new year? Do you have any resolutions?”

His smile was slow in coming and seemed secretive. “I do, but I won’t share until the new year.”

“Why?” she asked, puzzled.

“So you can keep me accountable- and trust me, it’s better this way.”

What on earth does that mean? she wondered. She didn’t dare to hope, but even as she told herself that, butterflies started swarming in her stomach.

At 10:32, right on schedule, they arrived at his house. Once they walked into the house, he asked her to lay out the movie while he got provisions for them. She laughed when he came back with his arms full of what looked like a large bowl of popcorn, several kinds of what his family called “crisps,” and chocolate.

“Did you raid the entire pantry, or is there some food left?” she teased as she helped him set some of the food down on the coffee table in front of the couch.

“I left plenty of food for Mum!” he adamantly replied. “I just know you don’t get sweets often, so I thought I’d make sure you have things you don’t get the chance to eat at home.”

If they didn’t have a plan, if she didn’t want things to turn out just right, she would have kissed him then and there. She was always overwhelmed by his constant willingness to make her happy. As it was, she gave him a quick hug before asking him to start the movie. Once the opening scene started to play, Regina looked down at her watch. 10:42 p.m. Perfect. As the prologue played, she set her alarm for a minute to midnight so they could count down to the new year.

After Belle sang of her distaste for living in a small, provincial town, Regina settled into the sofa, curling her legs under her. She leaned her head against Robin’s shoulder, then asked, “I know we said we’re just friends… so is this okay?”

He wrapped his arm around her, tucking her into him. “More than okay,” he whispers softly to her, his words now reverberating in her ear as her head lay partly on his chest. To prove his point, the arm that was around her started rubbing her, tracing a line from her hip to her waist and back again, igniting a fire within her everywhere he touched. Despite her desire to watch the movie, she closed her eyes for a second so she could savor the moment- she didn’t know when or if this would happen again. He was so good at it that she never wanted him to stop.

When “Gaston” started to play, somehow Regina found her fingers intertwined in Robin’s, conducting the song with him as it played. She considered letting go once the song was over- but at the same time, he wasn’t stopping it, was he? So she decided take advantage of it while she could.

They conducted every song after that, until finally, as Lumiere and Cogsworth were helping the Beast get ready for his dance with Belle, Robin stood, rapidly pushing the coffee table to the side before he reached for Regina’s hand, pulling her up to stand with him. “Dance with me, milady?”

She raised her hand until it was resting on his shoulder, her smile radiant. “I thought you’d never ask.”

As the chords of Regina’s favorite Disney love song began to play, Robin started slowly leading her around the room, their steps not those of any dance Regina knew but still smooth enough to seem choreographed. At last they stood relatively still, dancing in a circle. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest, loving how comfortable it was. As with their previous dance, she was lost in the moment and almost didn’t want it to end. 

After the dance, they resumed their positions on the couch. Regina glanced at her watch. They didn’t have much time left until the new year. She felt Robin’s fingers sifting through her hair as the Beast did the same to Belle on screen. Unlike when his arm was around her, his hand seemed unsure, almost awkwardly cradling her head. At the same time though, the fact that he was touching her meant that it felt wonderful regardless of how insecure he seemed. She made a mental note to tell him to use his fingertips in the future (if this incredible moment did happen again in the future); giving him tips would hopefully help him be more sure of himself.

Finally, the moment Regina had been waiting for was near. Her alarm went off just as Belle was running to sit by the Beast’s side as he died. As she pulled up the clock app on her phone to silence it and count down the seconds, Robin said, “Regina, about my new year’s resolution… there’s something I need to tell you… and you might think I’m crazy for saying it.”

Her heart hammered in her chest. “What?” She looked into his eyes, so close to hers that it seemed she was about to fall into them as she began counting down. “Ten, nine, eight…”

He joined in. “Seven, six…”

“Five, four, three, two, one,” they finished together.

And in that moment, when people all over the country were wishing each other a prosperous new year, Robin and Belle onscreen said simultaneously: “I love you.”

Regina smiled and reached the scant distance between them to brush the stubble on his cheek with her fingertips. “I love you too.”

For a moment, they simply smiled at each other, and it seemed to Regina that he couldn’t believe that she loved him. Finally, he leaned in, and at the exact moment Belle and her prince kissed, Regina and Robin had their first kiss as well.

Regina had long ago melted in Robin’s arms, but the feeling of Robin’s lips on hers made her come alive in a way she never had before. The kiss was soft and gentle, and Robin shyly pulled away, as if it was his first kiss as well as hers. She pressed herself even closer to him, if that was possible, looping her arms around him and enjoying every aspect of the moment- the soft feel of his sweater under her fingers, the pine-fresh scent of Sherwood Forest that clung to him like a second skin.

Regina looked up at him, unsure of them for a moment. “Wait- what about Zelena?”

His look of sheer befuddlement said it all. “Zelena? What about her?”

“You seem to spend a decent amount of time with her…”

He laughed so hard tears filled his eyes. “I honestly can’t stand her. I only try to be polite and get away from her- and preferably, to you- as quickly as possible. My resolution this year is to make sure you know every day how much I love you.”

“Really? But she’s so beautiful, and I’m, well…” she glanced down, ashamed of her own imperfections, “not.”

His hand came up from where it had been resting at her hip to cup her cheek. “I’m guessing your mother doesn’t tell you how beautiful you are?”

When she nodded, keeping her head bowed until he lifted it with one finger under her chin, he continued, “You are the most beautiful girl- woman- I know, inside and out. And as the movie we’ve just watched proves, what’s most important is your heart. And I will gladly tell you every day for as long as you’ll have me just how beautiful you are and how much I love you. You’re worth a thousand Zelenas, there’s never been any doubt in my mind about that.”

Just then, Regina heard ocean waves coming from her phone. She saw a text from Alice telling her that she was too tired to drive home and was staying at Will’s house. Her heart leapt at the chance to see Robin first thing in the morning- that is, if he wanted her to stay and not join Alice at Will’s.  
When she told Robin, of course he acquiesced to her request to spend the night, assuring her that his mother would be thrilled at the knowledge that she was staying when she got home.

With that settled, he retrieved a shirt and shorts for her to sleep in. He piled blankets and pillows on the couch, insisting that she take his bed. 

When she had changed and exited the bathroom, she found him hastily moving things in his room so that she could get into his bed to sleep.

She laughed. “You know I’ve seen your room at school, so there’s no need to hide any mess you think your room has from me.”  
He sighed, acknowledging her point.

When she got into bed, he came over and drew the covers up around her, making sure nothing but her head was exposed to the cold. He slowly kissed the top of her head, her forehead, and then at last her lips. As he whispered, “Buenas noches querida, te quiero muchísimo”- Good night beloved, I love you so much- she drifted off to sleep.

******** 

When Robin woke, he kept his eyes shut, hoping to return to the incredible dream he had had. In it, not only had he confessed his feelings for Regina, but she had told him she loved him too; something he doubted had actually happened in real life. She had grown and changed so much in the time he had met her that he doubted her feelings could be the same as they had been when she tried to kiss him during the first week of classes.

And if she did… he had to finally tell her about her mother. He hadn’t before, but if she was his, the one thing Ms. Mills had specifically forbidden, Regina deserved to know one of the reasons why Cora was so against them being together.

He got up and went into his room to wake Regina. Hoping that his dream was real, he threw caution to the wind ad pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Buenos días, mi amor,” Good morning, my love, he told her, waiting for her eyes to open.

As Regina’s eyes opened, Robin’s heart beat rapidly in his chest. She leaned toward him, her eyes fluttering shut, and he captured her lips with his. This kiss was deeper, more passionate. His arms locked around her as hers surrounded him. His tongue came out to tease her bottom lip, and her mouth parted for him to dart his tongue inside. Robin didn’t know anything could feel as right as this: the two of them locked in an embrace, his arms around her waist, hers around his neck, and his lips on hers, the taste so intoxicating that he never wanted this moment to end.  
When they parted, still locked in an embrace, he heard his mother knock on the doorframe. They broke apart quickly, Robin standing to walk toward her. He had left a note for his mum on her bedroom door to tell her Regina was staying, to spare her the shock of seeing her there in the morning. “Would you both like to go out for some breakfast?”

Robin glanced over at Regina, who nodded. 

They walked down the street to the Locksleys’ favorite bakery for breakfast. True to his word, Robin convinced Regina that she’s beautiful, and that one scone wouldn’t change that. That to him, she’ll always be the most beautiful girl he’s ever known. Ever since they left the house, he hadn’t been able to stop looking at her, stealing glances at her every time he thought she wasn’t looking. When she did, they both looked away bashfully, and his hand found hers under the table, giving it a squeeze.

When Regina got up to use the bathroom, Robin’s mum turned to him with a knowing smile. “Do you have something to tell me?”

He felt his cheeks grow warm. “No, what makes you say that?”

His mother laughed and shook her head. “Son, I’ve seen the looks you’ve given her- and the ones she’s given you in return. Something happened last night that you’re not telling me.”

His cheeks grew even redder. “I… may have told Regina last night that I love her…”

His mother nodded, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Good, I’m so glad. The more I’ve heard you talk about her, the more I’ve hoped that this would happen.” Her expression became stern as she cautioned. “But you treat her right, understand? Or you’ll have to deal with me.”

He was astounded that she would think that of him. She had raised him, after all. “Of course I will! You have nothing to worry about.”

When Regina returned, her hand was rummaging in her purse. She extracted a few euros and put them in front of his mum. “Thank you for breakfast and letting me stay, Mrs. Locksley.”

His mother pushed them back with a gentle smile. “It was no trouble. I’m glad Robin has someone like you in his life. And from now on, it’s Amanda. No need to be so formal.”

Robin grinned sheepishly as Regina glared at him. He shrugged, reaching out to take her hand, his finger tracing circles on her wrist in an effort to calm her. “She figured it out.”

With that, they stood to leave. As they walked toward the exit, the bell over the door rang, signaling a new customer. Robin glanced away from Regina, wondering if it was a neighbor he hadn’t seen in months, when his face darkened as much as the atmosphere had at the entrance of the bakery’s latest patron.

“Nottingham.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate to leave this on a cliffhanger, but my life's about to get busier for a few weeks- I will update, I promise, it just will take me longer. Thank you for reading, let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

Robin’s blood boiled at the sight of the man in front of him, who had crossed his arms with a smug smile. 

“What are you doing here, Nottingham?” Robin asked him. “I thought eating with ‘commoners’ was beneath you.”

“Oh, it is,” Keith Nottingham answered, not bothering to look Robin in the eye, but staring at a point just above Robin’s head. “But that doesn’t mean that I won’t come to purchase a few delicacies- to sample at home, of course, can’t stand to be in here with the riffraff.”

Robin shook his head. “When will you realize that they’re people just like us? Will you never learn?” He could feel Regina’s hand lightly rubbing his arm, likely trying to soothe him before he got into an altercation with the boy in front of them.

Nottingham scoffed. “Learn? I don’t need to learn something when it’s right in front of me. These people are beneath us, Robin- isn’t that why your mother homeschooled you?”

“Of course not,” Robin retorted, glancing at his mother, who had stopped in the bakery’s doorway to wait for her son. “My mum wanted to ensure that I was brought up in a way that was honorable. That I am honorable and good, unlike some of the peers around me.” It was a direct hit, and Nottingham knew it. Robin felt Regina’s hand slide down to intertwine with his. The gentle reassurance that she was there, that she was finally his, calmed him a way he knew little else could ever hope to achieve.

Nottingham chuckled darkly, a sound that sent shivers down Robin’s spine. “Honorable? We’ll see if everyone at Storybrooke University thinks the same of you once I come to that quaint university you attend- Storybrooke University, is it?”

Robin’s gaze hardened with horror as Nottingham stepped closer. “Oh, yes. I will be going to Storybrooke University this spring, and I will ensure that every one of the friends you’ve managed to acquire- and this lovely girl you have on your arm- see you for who you truly are.” 

Robin’s gaze followed that of his nemesis to Regina. “Nottingham, if you harm even a single hair on her head- or harm her in any other way, for that matter…”

“You’ll what?” Nottingham mocked. “Maim me? Oh no, Locksley, we both know you’re much too honorable for that.”

“You’re right, I won’t,” Robin agreed, acknowledging that he won’t stoop as low as his enemy for the sweet taste of revenge. “But I will make sure you regret it. Do we understand each other?”

Nottingham stepped aside. “We do. But remember what I said, Locksley- your true nature will be unveiled for all to see. And only time will tell just how many friends you have once they discover the real you.”

Robin felt Regina pulling him out into the cold British morning air. On their walk home, as he made sure she could see every pothole and slope in the sidewalk, Robin was inwardly fuming. Why couldn’t he have a sanctuary, somewhere where Keith Nottingham couldn’t haunt him at every turn?

And even worse- why could he never seem to keep his temper in check when faced with Nottingham? How did the boy get under his skin when almost no one else, save perhaps Regina’s mother, could? He lived by the code set out in the Bible, and while there were many examples of Christ’s temper flaring, it was always fueled by righteous anger- and he was never sure his anger was justified. He couldn’t help imagining what the scene would have been like if he had been more civil…

Robin’s blood boiled at the sight of the man in front of him, who had crossed his arms with a smug smile. He breathed deeply, focusing only on Regina’s hand in his as he faced the person he hadn’t liked since they were both children.

“Fancy seeing you here, Nottingham. How’s uni treating you?”

“Satisfactory,” Keith Nottingham answered, not bothering to look Robin in the eye, but staring at a point just above his head. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t think I can get a far superior education somewhere else. Which is why I’ve transferred to that quaint uni you’re attending for the spring semester- or didn’t you know?” He smirked seeing Robin’s stunned expression.

Robin shook his head. “As great as SU is, I doubt it will live up to your standards- are you sure that’s the university you want to attend?” He could feel Regina’s hand lightly rubbing his arm, likely trying to soothe him before he got into an altercation with the boy in front of them. He was trying to gently steer Nottingham away from a decision that would destroy the peaceful sanctuary that Robin’s found with his friends at uni.

Nottingham scoffed. “I think I know what’s best for my own education and goals.” He glanced over at Regina. “Although if the women are anything like the woman on your arm now, maybe I should in fact reconsider. Don’t want to be associated with riffraff like her.”

Robin clenched his fists as Nottingham insulted the girl he loved. He glanced at his mother, who had paused in the bakery doorway, waiting for her son. “Hasn’t your mum taught you better? Appearance doesn’t matter at all, the only thing that matters is what’s in a person’s heart. All human beings are people, no matter what they look like- and Regina’s heart is as pure as gold.” He felt Regina’s hand slide down to intertwine her fingers with his, forcing his fists to relax. The gentle reassurance that she was there, that she was finally his, calmed him a way he knew little else could ever hope to achieve. He knew that she could fight her own battles- she had proven as much during the semester they had known each other, after all- but what kind of man would he be if he didn’t defend the woman he loved?

Nottingham chuckled darkly, a sound that sent shivers down Robin’s spine. “Well, well, well, if she’s so special, maybe I’ll have to get to know her myself.” He turned to Regina, and Robin seethed at the sight of the wheels that were clearly turning at full speed in Nottingham’s head. “What do you say, want to ditch this bloke and spend time with someone of quality once I come to Storybrooke?”

“In your dreams,” Regina told him, her voice full of a fire Robin couldn’t help but admire her for. “I can already tell that Robin’s three times the man you are.” 

Robin chuckled, beaming as Nottingham stepped back. Had he realized he had bitten off more than he could chew by trying to woo Regina? “You’ll be singing a different song once I come to Storybrooke. You’ll be begging me to be with you over this lowlife.”

“Never,” Regina stated firmly. Head held high like the queen she was, she marched Robin out of the bakery.

Robin shook his head, chuckling, Regina could certainly use her words as a weapon when she wanted to.

“What’s so funny?” Regina asked.

He only laughed again and kissed her temple. “I was just imagining if that conversation had gone differently- if my words had been more honorable. You have quite a way with words, both in reality and in my imagination.”

Regina shook her head. “It comes and goes. So, what history do you two have that made you react that way around him? I’ve never seen you like that before.”

He squeezed her hand, warning her of a sloped section of the sidewalk before he answered. “I’ll tell you when we get home.”  
********

Once they were back at the Locksley residence, Regina and Robin checked in with Alice. She had headed home, leaving Regina to spend one of her last days in London with Robin before she flew out in a few days. She offered to get her at the end of the day, but Robin assured Regina that he could drive her back to Alice’s house, so she could spend as much time with him as she wanted.

“What if I never want to leave?” she asked softly, a wistful look in her eyes making Robin’s heart ache at the thought that in a few days, he wouldn’t see her until uni started again.

Like a bolt of lightning, a truth that Robin could no longer deny filled his heart: he never wanted her to leave either. In fact, he wanted her to stay for the remainder of their days, to be by his side for the rest of their lives. But it was much too soon to tell her that- he didn’t want to frighten her off. So instead, he took her hand, pressing it to his heart. “You never will- you’ll always be here. As I hope that I’ll forever remain in your heart as well.”

“Always,” she answered.

The thought of her leaving and going back to her mother reminded Robin- he hadn’t told her what she needed to know. He used their hands to pull her up and lead her toward his room. “Come on- there’s something I need to tell you.”

As they entered and Robin moved to shut the door, he could see that Regina’s faced was filled with apprehension. “Should I be worried?” she asked.

Robin sighed before answering, “Maybe…”

He walked toward her and took both of her hands in his, leading her to sit with him on the floor, with their backs resting against his bed. “Do you remember the day I met your mum?”

She grimaced. “How could I forget?”

“Well, what I neglected to tell you- only because I didn’t know how… is that your mother is possessed by a demon.”

Her mouth dropped open. “What?” she whispered, her voice so soft Robin could barely hear her, despite their proximity. Her hands clasped Robin’s so tightly Robin knew he would still feel her grip long after she let go. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head, where it was resting on his chest. “I don’t know. I didn’t want to ruin your relationship with her… and honestly? I didn’t want anything holding me back from comforting you the way I wanted to.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” she challenged him, extracting herself and glaring at him. Maybe waiting to tell her wasn’t such a good idea after all. He could see the walls that had surrounded her the day they had first met, then made of timidity but now fortified by an anger he prayed he’d be able to penetrate with his next words.

“By holding you in my arms,” he started, reaching for her. The second his hand touched her crossed arms, she seemed to thaw, a softness coming to her expression that hadn’t been there mere seconds before. He slowly pulled her to him, giving her the chance to put space between them if she still wanted it. But it seemed that she was affected by his touch as much as he was by hers. “By telling you that no matter what, I know we can get your mother back to the way she should be if we have faith and work together. By kissing you until you believe me, if any doubt remains in that beautiful head of yours. By telling you that if you feel your heart feels like it’s been ripped out of your chest due to worry for your mum, to use mine for the both of us,” he accentuates his words by putting their hands, now joined, on his heart. “And most importantly, by asking you to forgive me, because clearly I should never have kept this from you.”

She looked up at him, and he could see a glazed look enter her eyes as their gazes locked. It was a look she had given him before, and he was curious what thoughts filled her mind when she peered at him like that from beneath her long lashes.

Their gazes remained locked as he asked her, “What’s that look for, love?”

She smiled shyly, reaching out to caress his cheek. “Sometimes I just can’t stop staring into your eyes. And yes, I forgive you- but we should have open communication from here on out about everything, agreed?”

Robin readily agreed, breathing a sigh of relief.

“And speaking of open communication- what was that guy talking about? Clearly, there’s a history between you two- what is it?” Regina asked. 

Robin hesitated, and something in his face must have touched Regina, because the hand resting on his cheek moved to his shoulder, squeezing it. “You know you can tell me anything,” she said softly. “I think what just happened proves that we should share everything with each other, no matter how hard it seems.”

Robin nodded in agreement, then began. “Our history actually began before we were born. As you may have gathered, my mother’s family is part of the elite upper class here, who are all part of the Nottingham City Council. My mother and Nottingham’s father are cousins, and both of our parents discovered something that others wouldn’t approve of: my mother married my father, who as you know later left her, which was a match that was deemed unsuitable by my grandparents. Meanwhile, my mother discovered that the family had been bribing people for years to retain their seats at the head of the council, which was a factor in her marriage to my father and choosing a simpler lifestyle. Because of these events, the two branches of the family have now had a bad relationship with each other for decades.”

“That’s horrible,” Regina murmured. “And what did Nottingham mean when he said he’d show everyone who you truly are? Because the man I know is beyond compare, as close to perfect as it’s possible to get.”

Robin let go of her and held both of her hands in his, wanting to maintain their contact, but feeling she might want the distance between them after he revealed his darkest secret to her. “There was a time when I would steal small things from the council’s families and give them to the poverty-stricken people around me. I wanted to settle the score, make sure people had enough to eat, and enough money to buy food. Nottingham discovered my thefts and has tried using them against me ever since. But I hate that they have so much and there are so many here who have so little. Now, I volunteer at a soup kitchen regularly instead of stealing, and when I work in the summers I tithe, so churches can give back to those in need.”

Relief filled him at the look of love, and a hint of mischievousness, she gave him. “I’m calling you Robin Hood from now on,” she said. “Not only is your name Robin, but you live in Nottingham, right by Sherwood Forest, your least favorite person’s name is Nottingham, and you once stole from the rich to give to the poor, and still help them however you can. And you stole something else really valuable too.”

“What’s that?” Robin asked, suspecting he knew what her response would be.

“My heart,” Regina responded. With that, she closed the scant distance between them and kissed him, a soft, chaste, but passionate kiss that left no doubt that she loved him. 

Robin pressed his lips to hers, their kiss chaste but still full of their love for each other. No matter what Nottingham and Cora threw their way, he knew they’d find a way to get through it.

Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think, including any ideas you may have.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: a small section of this describes domestic violence. I've marked it, so you'll be able to skip those two paragraphs and still read the rest.

The break had passed quickly, and now it was the first day of classes. Regina and Robin had both lamented the loss of their class together, particularly given what had transpired while Regina was in Great Britain, but Robin assured her that they would find ways to spend time together, that at the very least they would exchange schedules so they could meet after class.

On one such occasion during the first week of classes, as they were sitting in the student lounge of the building where they had their Spanish class the previous semester, Robin asked Regina if she wanted to go help at a soup kitchen regularly with him. She readily agreed, but cautioned that she would need to ask her mom if it was okay- and as soon as her mother found out about their budding romance, the answer would always be no.

Robin bit his lip, then said, “I hate to say this, because we should honor our parents’ wishes as much as possible… but nothing can truly stand in the way of something like this. We’re both adults attending university, her power over you should decrease significantly sometime soon, yeah?”

Regina’s shoulders slumped, and Robin reached out to soothingly massage them. His thumbs moved upwards to tilt her chin up so she was looking him in the eye. “It’s not that simple. You make it sound like I can just tell her I’ll live my life the way I want to and walk out if she tries to tell me I can’t be with you. First of all, she’s my mother, and second, it’s not like I have a job to support myself if she tries to kick me out.”

“I doubt she will,” Robin reassures her. “We both know she likes keeping you on a tight leash, so I doubt she’d want you to be away from her, no matter how angry you make her. But if she does,” he added, clearly seeing uncertainty in her eyes, “we’ll figure it out, I promise.”

She smiled, shaking her head. How did she get so lucky to find him? He was always full of hope when she was full of doubt. Gazing into his eyes, she knew she had to take the plunge and talk to her mother- because Robin was right- while she did want to respect her mother’s position in her life, she wasn’t a kid anymore either. “I’ll try,” she promised him, leaning in to kiss his cheek. 

******** 

Later that night, Regina nervously cleared her throat as she was sitting on the couch with her mother after dinner. “Mom, one of my friends is going to a soup kitchen tomorrow to help out, and I’m going to go with them.”

“You’re going to go with them?” Cora asked. “I’m your mother, and I don’t recall giving you permission to go.”

Regina was annoyed. Her mother was reacting just as she thought she would. “You may be my mother, but at some point, you need to let me be an adult too. Which means letting me make my own decisions.”

“How long have you been going to that club I specifically told you not to go to?” Cora asked suddenly.

“What?” Regina asked, taken aback. “What gave you that idea?”

“You stay an awfully long time after your class on Fridays, it’s not a stretch to figure out what you’re doing. How much studying did you and that boy actually do anyway? Because I’ve always suspected that you’re disobeying my wishes regarding him as well.”

Regina bowed her head and closed her eyes, not knowing what to say. Of course, she didn’t want to fight with her mother, but she didn’t want to lie either. Neither option would lead to the best scenario. 

She thought of all the wonderful people she had met and Robin’s words earlier that day, and suddenly, she knew the right thing to do. 

“Yes, I’ve been going, and yes, we’re together- but only for a few weeks, most of which, as you know, we’ve been apart. I know you’re my mother, and I know you pay for school and take care of me, but I’m also an adult, so I think it’s time for me to make my own decisions. You raised me, so you should trust that I’ll make the right decision for me- and accept that that decision might not be what you would want for me.”

“Then I suppose your boyfriend told you what I really am,” Cora deduced. With that, her appearance changed to her demonic form. 

While Mal’s metamorphosis had surprised and slightly frightened Regina, seeing her own mother transform to her demonic self was truly terrifying. Her heart broke and a hatred of the force that had possessed her mom filled her. Hopefully, that would be enough to return her mother to her normal self.

The demon brandished a long sword that was just short enough to accommodate her build. The eyes that Regina had seen full of somewhat unwarranted concern for her turned to slits of hatred as claws sprouted from her nails that already resembled claws on their own because Cora kept them so sharp. The demonic eyes and fiery horns multiplied as the head count increased threefold.   
Tears pooled in Regina’s eyes. As much as she didn’t understand her mother’s parenting choices some days, she never imagined she’d see her reduced to this. For all her flaws, Cora was a powerful feminist who always taught Regina to stand up for herself, so seeing her as this being who few would believe existed was excruciating. She quickly used her necklace to put on her armor and waited. “You’re my mother, you wouldn’t hurt me,” she called out.

“Ah, but children are supposed to obey their parents, and you’ve been such a disobedient daughter,” the demon that was her mother responded as shards of glass flew at Regina, cutting into her sleeves.

“Parents shouldn’t exasperate their children, though,” Regina read from her sword, trying not to react to the pain as blood trickled down her torn shirt, “And some of your decisions on my behalf are just so frustrating!”

“Do you really think your God will reward you for this?” the demon that was Cora taunted, “Do you really think you deserve anything He gives you?” 

***trigger warning: if you’ve been a victim of domestic violence, skip this section.***

The demon chuckled as Regina’s smile faltered. She really didn’t deserve everything good that had happened to her that semester- especially Robin. Tears filled her eyes as the demon’s hand lunged, encircling her neck as fire blazed around the demon, giving it an unearthly glow and illuminating the room in ways Regina hoped never to see again. She was fearful for her life, and even knowing she was possessed, Regina had thought her mother, and anyone else close to her like Emma or Robin, would never lay a hand on her.   
For a moment, she was paralyzed as the flames scorched her neck, staring into the demon’s eyes, which were more like empty slits. She broke away as she turned and ran to her room, rapidly packing a bag once she was there.

***Safe to continue reading***

With backpack in hand, she ran out the door, trying to ignore the demon’s parting comment of, “You can’t leave- who will take you?” as she started toward Emma’s house. She didn’t truly know where she would go or how long she would stay, only that she couldn’t stay in her house any longer.

Emma gasped when Regina appeared on the doorstep. “What happened?” she asked.  
Sniffling, Regina shook her head. “I- I can’t talk about it yet, but can I stay? It might be for awhile, I haven’t decided what I’m going to do,” she warned.

“Of course,” David and Mary Margaret said in unison as Emma came forward to hug Regina. She braced herself, but Emma’s hug was comforting, and exactly what she needed. She shuddered at the thought of anyone’s hand on her anywhere else, especially her neck, but apparently her love for hugs wasn’t diminished by her ordeal, a fact Regina was grateful for.

“Do you want to just go up to your room and go to bed?” Mary Margaret kindly suggested. Regina spent the night so often that David and Mary Margaret’s guest bedroom had unofficially become hers long ago.

Regina nodded. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

Once she was in bed, she texted Robin: Pick me up at Emma’s for the soup kitchen tomorrow morning please- there’s a lot I need to tell you.

Immediately, her phone rang, Beauty and the Beast playing as Robin’s picture appeared on the screen. 

“Do you want me to come over?” he asked, his voice full of concern for her.

“I can’t talk about it now, if that’s why you’re asking,” she warned him.

“What if I just want to hold you?” Robin asked. “No talking required unless you want to.”

Her eyes drifted shut, imagining how it would feel to just get lost in that sensation, to forget everything that had transpired for a few blissful minutes. “Okay,” she agreed, “just let me make sure it’s okay with David and Mary Margaret.”

Right at that moment Emma’s mother’s head appeared as she cracked open the door. “If that’s Robin, he’s welcome to come over,” she said. “As close as you and Emma are, you seem to need the extra support right now, and I know you love him.”

Regina looked up at her, covering the mouthpiece with her hand. “Thanks,” she replied, before relaying the message to Robin.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on her bedroom door. “Just how much did you speed on the way here?” Regina asked suspiciously as she opened the door. It normally took ten minutes to get from Robin’s apartment to hers, and it had only been five minutes since she had spoken to him.

“I don’t want to know, I just wanted to get here as quickly as I could,” Robin responded, wrapping her in his arms. 

Regina pulled away from his embrace, leading him to sit with her on her bed, their backs resting against the wall and sky-blue body pillow. She leaned into him, his arms wrapping around her as she closed her eyes. 

Her hypothesis had been correct. Being with Robin helped Regina relax enough that after a few moments of silence and a kiss to the top of her head, she fell asleep.  
********  
Regina woke the next morning to the smell of pine surrounding her. She breathed it in, thinking of Robin, then realized that the reason for this early morning reminder of him was because he was still holding her in the same position they had fallen asleep in the night before. 

She tilted her head up to kiss his cheek. His eyes opened, and when he saw her, he immediately turned his head to press his lips to hers. “Good morning, beautiful,” he greeted her, stroking her hair.

Regina tensed, remembering the events of the night before, and Robin immediately noticed. He immediately let go of her, putting space between them. “What is it?” he asked her.

“My mom now knows that not only have I been going to ANC, but we’re together… so I fought the demon in her, and it- it- put its hand, which was aflame, around my neck,” she stammered, her voice starting strong but growing fainter with every word she spoke. “I thought it was going to kill me, and the fact that it was one of the closest people to me… I honestly don’t know if I’ll be comfortable with anyone touching my neck again. And I can’t go back there, at least not yet- I don’t trust her.”

Robin nodded slowly, holding out his arms. “But hugs are still all right, correct? You seemed fine with that last night and this morning.”

She nodded, and suddenly she was in his embrace once more.

“Can I still stroke your hair?” he asked, his voice muffled where it was resting against the top of her head. “I swear to you, I won’t get close to your neck, and the minute you’re uncomfortable, just tell me, all right?”

Gratitude for his understanding filled Regina as she told him, “yes.”

Eventually, they got up and joined Emma and her parents in the kitchen. “What are you two doing today?” David asked.

Robin told him, “We’re going to a soup kitchen called God’s Kitchen that one of the churches in Storybrooke hosts every Saturday morning for the homeless. Truthfully, I haven’t been there before, but I help with one at home, and I wanted Regina to experience one for herself.” He glanced over at her, a light in his eyes she had never seen before. “I think she’s going to love it.”

When they got to the church where God’s Kitchen was held, they went down the stairs that led to the parish hall where the soup kitchen occurred each week. They were met by a woman who introduced herself as Mother Superior. She was joined by a nurse, who introduced herself as Nova. Mother Superior was the older of the two, with a stern expression that made Regina suspect that while her heart was always in the right place, she wasn’t the warmest person and was a force to be reckoned with. Nurse Nova, however, was amiable and instantaneously struck up a conversation with the couple, telling them all about how God’s Kitchen worked.

“I always give them free health care, shots and that sort of thing, but there’s always a church every week that comes in to cook for them. You two can help serve the food, or you can help in the kitchen, and once the food’s served, you can sit and talk with them or play with the kids if you prefer.”

“Sounds perfect,” Regina and Robin told her simultaneously. At that moment, they noticed people starting to come in, so they looked at each other and nodded, heading to the window that opened into the kitchen to start passing out plates. 

Once everyone was served, Regina spotted two little boys who were playing on the wooden stage that was separated from the main room by two small steps. They were taking turns jumping off of the steps onto the floor below, and each time one of them jumped, her heart leapt into her throat.

She walked over to them. One seemed a little older and was taller with light brown hair and fairer skin, while the other had dark curly hair that matched her own and a darker complexion. His chubby cheeks and dimples when he smiled made Regina’s heart melt. “Hi!” she said, giving them a wide smile. “My name’s Regina. Can I play with you?”  
The younger of the two boys looked skeptical. “Ruby says we’re not supposed to talk to strangers.”

“She told us her name, I think it’s okay,” his older companion said sagely. Holding out his hand, he introduced them both. “I’m Henry, and I’m five. And this is my little brother Roland. He’s-“

“Three!” the little boy exclaimed happily, holding up three fingers to show her.

“Wow, that’s so big! I’m so happy to meet you both,” she said, grinning down at them. “What are you playing?”

“We were playing superheroes,” Henry told her, “But now, I want to go sledding!”

Roland looked nervous. “I don’t know… is it safe to go down the mountain?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll go down with you, and I’ll protect you,” Regina reassured him. “You’ll be safe with me, I promise.”

Henry scrutinized her with a gaze that was that of someone far beyond his years. “You should trust her,” he said wisely. “She’ll keep you safe, Roland.”

Roland looked at her with the faith only a child could have. “You promise? You pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise,” Regina repeated as she held out her pinky for him to shake with his own. 

At that moment, Robin walked up to them. “Did I hear something about sledding?”

“Yeah!” Henry exclaimed. “There’s a huge hill right behind here, and sleds in the shed, you wanna come?”

“Do I?” Robin gasped, holding a hand to his heart. “I would have to be crazy if I didn’t take you up on that offer!”

Both Henry and Regina glanced at Roland. “I don’t, does that mean I’m crazy?” Roland asked, a quiver in his voice.

“Of course not,” Robin said softly, kneeling to look Roland in the eye. “Everyone’s afraid of something, and you just so happen to be afraid of sledding down a big hill. But Regina promised to keep you safe, yeah?”

When Roland nodded, he continued. “Then that’s what she’ll do. And trust me, you couldn’t have anyone better to keep you safe.”

“Yes, yes he could- it could be you,” Regina refuted. Her heart was melting as she witnessed Robin’s interaction with the two boys. She didn’t think it was possible to love him more, but watching him talk to the kids made her see a side of him she had never seen before that made her imagine him as a father. Whoever his children would be would have the best dad imaginable.

She shook herself out of her reverie when Henry asked, “Coming, Regina?”

She quickly nodded and followed them out the back door of the church.

The hill truly was magnificent. She could understand why Roland called it a mountain. It towered over them, ad she could imagine that sweet, innocent Roland felt like an ant when he stood at the bottom of the hill. 

Once they dragged the sled from a shed stationed to the left of the hill, Regina took the rope of the sled in one hand and Roland’s hand in the other. “You ready?” she asked as they started to ascend.

“You promise you’ll hold on to me? You won’t let go?” Roland asked nervously as he glanced behind them. 

“Pinky promise, remember?” she reminded him. “It’ll be so much fun! Maybe next time, you can get Henry to go with you.” 

“Maybe…” Roland considered. “But I still want to go with you first.”

“Okay,” Regina consented, sitting down on the sled once they had reached the top of the hill. She pulled Roland down with her to sit on her lap, and she tightened her arms around him, “Are you ready?” she asked.

Roland held on to Regina’s hands with a grip that belied his size. She saw his little curls bob up and down as he nodded. “I think so.”

“Okay, let’s go!” Regina yelled. She scooted with him until they started sliding down the hill. The wind whipped through her hair, making it fly behind them as they sped down the hill at a velocity that surprised her. Snow swept past them, flying in the wind created by their descent.

When they came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, she asked him, “How was it? Did you have fun?”

Roland nodded. “I still don’t want to go by myself though, it’s still a little too scary for that. And I don’t think I want to go again yet.”

Regina smiled understandingly. “It is a little scary. Is it okay if you stay here with your brother while I take another turn?”

Roland’s eyes grew wide. “But who will keep you safe?”

“Robin, of course!” Henry said emphatically, as if the answer was obvious. He turned to Robin, suddenly unsure. “Won’t you?”

“Of course, I will,” Robin assured the older boy, giving him and then Regina a dazzling smile that took her breath away. 

She sat back down on the sled, and Robin sat behind her. His arms came around her, and they shoved off, racing down the hill at a much faster pace than she and Roland had. She knew they would be fine though; Robin’s hold left little to no room for doubt in her mind that he would protect her should anything happen to them. She felt like she was on a roller coaster, Robin’s arms the bar keeping her from flying off.

All too soon they came to a stop, and Robin lips brushed her cheek before he released her so they could return to the boys. Seeing their smiles, it broke her heart that they were here, that they had so little food that they came here to supplement the little nourishment they got. For while the boys were both bright-eyed and had rosy cheeks, she could tell that they could use more nourishment. 

On their way back inside, she pulled Nova aside. “What happened to Roland and Henry’s parents?” she asked quietly, so the boys couldn’t hear her. Robin, having overheard her question, quickly ushered the boys back into the main room with the adults.

“No one knows who their father was, and he hasn’t come to claim them,” Nova responded sadly. “Their mother, Marian, died giving birth to Roland three years ago, leaving him and a two-year-old Henry behind, so he’s never known a mother. Everyone around town helps with them, including old Granny Lucas. Her granddaughter, Ruby, who’s around your age, often babysits them, and they spend a lot of their time there. Unofficially, they’re taken care of, but it’s a community effort, they don’t have just one building that they call home or a couple to call their parents.”

Regina’s heart broke as she thanked Nova and walked away, thinking of sweet little Henry as a two-year-old, standing at his mother’s graveside as he watched her coffin being lowered into the ground. Knowing he would likely have few if any memories of her, and that Roland had never known her, made her chest ache and wish she could just take them home with her…

But wait. She was almost as lost as those boys right now. Maybe when she was older, when she had a job and her own little house or apartment, she could adopt them both, and they could be a family, hopefully with Robin in the picture somehow as well. But for now, there was little she could do, and the ever-present knowledge of her uselessness crushed her. If only she could drive. If only she had a full-time job and her own place. If only…

“Penny for your thoughts,” Robin said suddenly, startling her. 

She grabbed his hand. “Promise me something,” she told him earnestly.

His smile, always present when she was with him, widened. “Anything.”

“Promise me that when we graduate, we’ll adopt Henry and Roland and give them a real home. Nova said they just bounce from house to house, and it breaks my heart,” she asked him fervently, tears welling in her eyes as she voiced her musings.

Robin gathered her in his arms and kissed her forehead. “Of course, we will. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”   
She kissed him with more passion than she had ever felt, a feeling he seemed to share. 

“Eww, gross!” a high-pitched voice interrupted them. There stood Roland, with Henry by his side. While Henry looked amused, his little brother was clearly disgusted.

Regina knelt by the boys. “Roland, pumpkin, when a boy and girl like each other, they kiss. It’s not gross.” Robin chuckled at her explanation.

“Do you love her?” Henry asked, looking at Robin for the answer.

Regina wanted to kiss Robin all over again, regardless of Roland’s reaction, when he replied, “I do.”

Looking around at the three of them, she couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. This was the future she wanted. She didn’t know how long it would take or what stops she’d need to traverse to get there, but she wanted this life, taking care of Roland and Henry with Robin by her side.

But first, they had to figure out what to do about her mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

“So, what do you want to do for Valentine’s Day?” Regina asked Robin a day or two later. The holiday was rapidly approaching, only a week away, and she wanted to do something special to celebrate the love they shared. Even though they were both busy with their second semester of college, she knew they could find a way to take some time off and enjoy each other. 

“Hm…” Robin mused. “Oh, I know! How about I cook you dinner? I haven’t gotten to cook for you yet, and this seems like the perfect opportunity. You can come over to our apartment, I’ll kick Will out, and we’ll have a romantic evening together?”

“Hey, I like to cook, I want to make you something too!” Regina protested. A sly grin spread across her face. “I know- it can be a competition, and we’ll make a day of it. Emma and her parents will all be gone that day, so you can come over, cook me lunch, we’ll hang out for the afternoon, then I’ll make dinner.” She had been living at Emma’s house since the night she had run away from the demon in Cora, and knew Mary Margaret and David would be celebrating the day on their own, and Emma had plans with Killian, so they would have the house to themselves.

“You’re on,” Robin stated, holding out his hand for her to shake. “May the best chef win!”

******** 

Valentine’s Day arrived, and with it, Regina’s competitive streak. She knew she would blow Robin away with what she had planned to make him for dinner. But first, she would be sampling Robin’s culinary skills for lunch.

They had agreed that he would have lunch ready precisely at 1:00, and he arrived promptly at noon to begin putting together the meal he had planned. He wouldn’t let her in the room though, shooing her out of the kitchen and closing the door that separated it from   
the front hall. 

She waited in the family room, watching TV as Robin cooked. Forty-five minutes later, she heard the smoke alarm go off, and she ran into the kitchen to find it smoking, as a panicked Robin stood over an overflowing lasagna dish, cheese oozing onto the outer surface of the pan and onto the oven racks and the stove, once he had removed it from the oven.

“Aww, did things not go according to plan?” Regina asked, trying her hardest not to laugh at the scene in front of her. He should have known better than to try to cook in an unfamiliar kitchen that she knew like it was her own- which it was, now- without her in the room to assist him. She knew that the oven always overheated, which meant that cook times were always less than the instructions stated.

And sure enough, “Serves me right for not having you in the kitchen to help me out,” Robin lamented. “I should’ve known better than to cook in an unfamiliar kitchen without asking someone familiar with the kitchen if it had any quirks.”

Regina walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him and standing on the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. “It’s okay, it happens to everyone. Do you want to just go out for lunch instead?”

“All right,” Robin sighed, letting her lead him to where their coats stood on the coat rack in the foyer. “Granny’s?”

“Definitely!” Regina grinned. Now that she was in the mood for lasagna, she wanted Granny’s- it was her signature dish, and Regina’s favorite meal at the restaurant, once she had discovered that Granny had as much of an affinity for it as she did.

After they had given Granny their orders, Regina noticed that another couple beside them was speaking in Spanish. She couldn’t understand every word, of course, but she was proud- and she knew Mal would be, too- that thanks to their recent units on food vocabulary, animals, and adjectives, she could understand some of what they were saying.

Robin, of course, didn’t have Spanish with her this semester, so he had no idea what they were saying. Once their orders had come out of the kitchen, he shoveled the fries he had ordered into his mouth. Regina cringed at the words of the couple beside them, knowing Robin couldn’t understand what they were saying as they were insulting him, calling him a fat pig who shouldn’t even be eating with dogs, let alone with people. 

Fury suddenly rose in her, and she quickly pushed her chair away from the table, stood, and marched over to where the rude couple sat, staring them down. The man and woman stopped midsentence, staring at her with looks of annoyance on their faces. “¿Qué quieres?” the woman asked. What do you want?

With all the rage that had surged within her, Regina said as angrily as she could while still maintaining a civil tone in public, “No pueden hablar sobre una persona en esa manera en lugar público, ¡especialmente cuando no puede entender lo que dicen! No le conocen a él, entonces no pueden juzgarle a él por nada que hace, y lo mismo es verdad de nosotros. ¿Entienden?” You can’t talk about someone like that in a public place, especially when he can’t understand what you’re saying! You don’t know him, so you can’t judge him for anything that he does, and the same is true of us. Understand?”

“No- no sabía que hablas español,” I- I didn’t know you speak Spanish the woman who had formerly been insulting Robin stuttered. “Lo siento mucho para todo, y por favor digale lo mismo para nosotros.” I’m very sorry for everything, and please tell him the same for us.

With a curt nod, Regina turned on her heel and walked back to Robin. “Sorry about that, I had to teach them a lesson they wouldn’t forget,” she apologized. “Don’t worry though, they apologized for insulting you right in front of you without you being able to understand to defend yourself, I made sure of that.”

He laughed and reached across the table to entwine her fingers with his. “Remember all those times I’ve told you that you’re strong? That’s what I’m talking about, the moments when that fire ignites inside you and you turn into the Evil Queen. I couldn’t understand all of what you were saying, but you sounded vicious over there.”

She blushed. “I’m only that way when I’m defending you. I have always loved the Evil Queen though, I always felt that there had to be more to her story than just jealousy over a pretty face. Plus, I think that just like us, she and Robin Hood would be the perfect couple. Neither of them is perfect, both have sins in their past that they can’t escape.”

“I agree. And I quite enjoy the thought of you being my queen and being your thief,” Robin said, stealing a bite of lasagna off of Regina’s plate as he spoke.

“Hey!” she exclaimed, pretending to stab him with her fork. “Did you ask for that? That was mine!”

Chuckling, he pushed his own plate toward her. “Thief, remember? Here, you can return the favor.”

“Can’t steal something that’s been given to you, so it doesn’t count,” she shot back. But she took a bite of his food anyway.

********

After an afternoon of playing in the snow that was slowly starting to fall, Regina started cooking Robin dinner. As Robin had done earlier, she had kicked him out of the kitchen. She turned on music and was dancing and singing as she made a three-cheese chicken dish with brussels sprouts, one of her favorite recipes. 

Suddenly, a smirking Robin was standing in the doorway, holding up her phone. “It’s Emma, can I answer?”

Regina immediately stopped dancing, mortified at what he had caught her doing, and nodded. She walked over to pause the music as Robin answered. “Hey Emma, what’s up?”

Regina watched with bated breath as Robin listened to her friend. The snow had picked up, with a solid six inches now covering the surface of everything outside the house, including Robin’s car. She worried that Emma and her parents wouldn’t be able to get home… but then she realized that that would mean Robin couldn’t leave, a thought that made her heart flutter.

“All right, don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine. Thank you,” Robin said, ending the call. 

“What did she say?” Regina asked anxiously. 

“Due to the snow, Emma’s going to stay with Alice, and David and Mary Margaret are going to stay with friends who live closer to where they had dinner with them tonight. So, it’s just you and me tonight, sweetheart,” Robin answered, coming over to where she was still standing at the stove with her top half turned facing him and wrapping his arms around her. 

Regina leaned into him. “Perfect,” she sighed. Robin had barely touched her beyond hugs and quick pecks on the lips since the debacle with her mother, and she wanted to take advantage of this night alone to attempt to rectify that. While she still shuddered at the thought of anyone putting their hands on her neck and knew that that wouldn’t change anytime soon, if at all, there were moments like right now that she craved Robin’s lips on every part of her. And there was something else she wanted to try as well, but she wasn’t sure Robin would agree to it, Cora incident or no Cora incident. Suddenly, she had an idea, “After dinner, want to light the fireplace and curl up with some hot chocolate and a movie?”

“I thought we were making dessert?” Robin asked. 

“We are,” Regina confirmed. “I just want hot chocolate too.”

He chuckled softly, holding her closer to him for a moment before letting go. “As you wish, querida,” he replied.

Once dinner had been eaten and the dishes cleared away, Regina put the brownies she had made in the oven and led Robin into the family room to pick a movie. 

A few minutes later the fire was lit, The Proposal was in the DVD player, and hot chocolate was before them on the coffee table. They were in the exact same position on the couch as they were on New Year’s Eve, but Regina lamented that this time, his fingers weren’t tracing a line down her side.

She mulled it over throughout the movie, laughing at the right moments so she wouldn’t raise Robin’s suspicions that all was not well. She finally decided that she had to make the first move, so she made her plan accordingly. 

Once the movie was over, she pulled him up from the sofa and led him to her room.

He stopped in the doorway. “Regina- what are you doing?” 

She pulled him into the room, then shut the door behind them. Her hands brought his to frame her waist, but he quickly pulled away. “Regina, I- I can’t do this.”

She pushed herself onto the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. “I know, you’ve barely touched me at all since I started living here. I understand that there are things you can’t do now that you may have wanted to before- but that list is a lot shorter than you think.”

Something like hunger sparked a fire in his eyes while the next words from his lips showed that he still has doubts. “Just how short is this list?”

“Very,” Regina assured him. She took his hand in hers. “For example, you could touch here,” their hands rested on her hips, “here,” their hands now cupped her cheek.

“Or, you could even,” Regina whispered in a sultry tone she’s never used- she never thought she could use- with anyone before, “spank this.” She bit her lower lip nervously as her hand guided his to her butt, her fingers flexing his to encourage him.

His hand immediately retracted. “No, I- I can’t. I have a code to follow, and that- that would make me just like her,” he finished, fear lowering his voice to a terrified whisper. “Someone who hurt you, instead of someone who wants to do nothing more than cherish you.”

Frustrated, she shook her head, deciding to take it a step further. “I’ll let you in on a little secret: my pain tolerance is really high. It would take a lot to hurt me beyond repair.”

He smiled, the first one she’d gotten out of him since the movie ended. “That, I knew already, querida,” he told her, and her breath hitched when his fingertips danced across her cheek. “You’re the most resilient person I know.”

She stepped away from him, so that she could make sure he was looking her in the eye for her next words. “Then please stop treating me like a porcelain doll. If it’s for your code, I understand- but I’m not some glass ornament that can easily be broken.”

A gleam lit his eyes as he stepped toward her. “No, you’re not. But, for tempting me to veer from the code I’ve fought hard to follow for years, you do deserve this.” 

His hand reached out and made contact with her butt with a resounding smack! and a sting that she felt reverberate from her toes to her racing heart. Now that was the Robin she knew and loved, the one who loved teasing her, and could never resist giving her what she wanted. She was glad that he was finally starting to move past what had happened with her mother so they could walk forward together and be stronger for it.

Suddenly, she remembered she had a gift for him. She walked over to her nightstand and opened the drawer, pulling out a package. 

She held it out to him. “This is for you.”

He held up his hand and walked out of the room, calling out, “Wait here, I have something for you too.”

She sat on her bed and waited. When he returned, he had a fairly large bag in his hand. She held her gift out. “I want you to open mine first.”

He set the bag down beside the bed as he joined her on her bed, both of them leaning on the same pillow they had fallen asleep on   
what seemed like the day before. 

Robin took the package from Regina and opened it. His efforts revealed a box marked with a crown with an arrow through it. 

A softness was in his gaze as he glanced up at her. “A reference to us, I assume? The thief and the queen?”

She nodded. “I decided I didn’t mind being called a queen- only if you’re saying it though.”  
His smile widened. He kissed her, then opened the box to reveal the letters she had placed inside. “What are these?” he breathed, taking the stack out of the box so he could look through them.

“I wrote you a letter every day we were apart after I came home from our time spent together in Great Britain,” she replied. “Some of them are just about my day, others are for the future- anytime we’re apart and you need me, for pretty much any mood you’re in.”

“These are incredible,” Robin murmured, sifting through them to read the envelope of each one. “Gracias, mi amor,” Thank you, my love he thanked her, pulling her close and kissing her temple.

“Now,” he said, putting the letters aside and reaching for the package he had brought upstairs. “it’s my turn.”

She opened the wrapping paper and looked up at him, confused. “The book? But I’ve already seen it…”

He grinned. “Not this story you haven’t. Turn to page 23.”

She did, and smiled up at him. He had written their story into the accounts of everything that had happened to the members of ANC that semester. Reading their tale in his words made her smile grow wider with each word she read. His love for her was woven throughout the tale.

Finished, she kissed him with every ounce of love she had. “It’s perfect, thank you.”

He kissed her back. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Regina. I love you, more than you’ll ever know.”

She sighed, content, then rose to change into pajamas, calling over her shoulder. “Do you want me to grab something of David’s for you? I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“That’d be great, thanks,” Robin’s voice answered her.

Once they were both changed, she told him he could have her room, and she’d sleep on the couch. As he had when she stayed at his house over break, he tucked her in and kissed her forehead before heading up to her room to sleep.

Hours later, she bolted upright on the couch. Images of Henry and Roland being held captive and tortured by the demon that was currently her mother were slowly fading, but she was still shaking, and she knew she’d never completely erase that nightmare from her mind. She had only met the boys a few times, but they had captured her heart, Roland with his innocence and Henry with his insatiable curiosity.

She heard creaking on the steps in the hall just before Robin appeared in the doorway, stretching his arms over his head and yawning. “Regina? What’s wrong?”

She shook her head and turned away. “Nothing, just a bad dream, go back to sleep. Sorry I woke you.”

Instead of listening to her, he sat on the couch with her, reaching out to hold her. “Do you think it would help if you came upstairs and slept with me? Your bed’s definitely large enough for the both of us.”

Slowly, she nodded, but immediately frowned afterwards. “But what about your code? I know that the last time we fell asleep together was accidental, but this…”

He dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. “We’re not doing anything, just sleeping. And part of that code includes helping others, which includes you first and foremost. So, if this will help you, I see nothing wrong with it, despite how it might appear to others.”

“Okay,” she conceded as she stood to follow him to her room. 

She got in bed and he climbed in beside her, then pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her. She immediately relaxed into his touch, his steady breathing calming her. 

As she fell asleep, she heard his soothing words. “Sleep well, sweetheart, and always know that I love you with everything that I am and will always be here for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains prompts #177, #22, #170, #73, #13, #68, #55, #31, #18, #52, and #43 for OQ Prompt Party 2019. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 15

A couple of weeks later, in the beginning of March, Robin and Regina decided they would both take Henry and Roland and have fun with them for the day. 

“What do you want to do?” Robin asked the boys, who were both standing eagerly in front of them with jackets on, ready for an adventure. He couldn’t wait for the time with them, to get to know them. When Regina had proposed the idea of adopting them one day, Robin hadn’t hesitated to agree, especially once he had learned that while the whole town took care of them, they didn’t have a place to call their own.

“Go to the park and play games!” Henry shouted excitedly.

“No, I wanna bake cookies!” Roland protested, glaring at his brother.

Robin and Regina exchanged a glance. Robin shrugged. “We can do both. Regina, you and Roland can go bake cookies at Emma’s, while Henry and I go to the park.”

A slight frown soured the features that Robin found breathtakingly beautiful. “But then we won’t get to spend the day together.” Regina pouted.

Robin knew how she felt, he wanted to spend the day with her and the two boys they loved as well. He reached out to squeeze her hand. “I know exactly how you feel, because I feel the same way. How about this: I’ll drop you and Roland off, take Henry to the park, then we’ll meet you for dinner, at the house or our apartment or out somewhere. Then we can all sleep at Regina’s and go to church in the morning. Is that all right?” he asked as an afterthought.

They all nodded, acquiescing to Robin’s plan, then walked out to his car to begin their day.

******** 

Robin and Henry got to the park and spotted a group playing football (or soccer, as Henry called it). 

Henry looked at Robin, his eyes shining. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet as he asked, “Can we go play too?”

“Sure, as long as we ask first,” Robin cautioned. 

Once they had jogged over to the group and asked if they could join them, of course, they all encouraged them to play.

As they immersed themselves in the game, Robin made sure to watch Henry at every opportunity that presented itself. They were on opposing teams, but that didn’t stop Robin from cheering Henry on every chance he got. Each successful pass and goal attempt were acknowledged and praised by a beaming Robin, making Henry glow every time. 

At the end of the game, Robin heard one boy a little older than Henry ask him, “Is he your big brother or daddy?”

Henry shook his head. “He’s one of my best friends! He and a really nice lady named Regina play with me and my brother every Saturday.”

Robin’s heart swelled. Did Henry really think that after only a little over a month of knowing him and Regina? His heart ached at the thought that this boy went from place to place, never having a real home or a man to guide him through life. From what he had gathered the few times they had met, the main people who interacted with Henry and his brother were women- Granny, Mother Superior, Nova, Ruby, even Regina. While Robin knew he was still learning and growing, and had meant what he had said to Regina, that one day the boys would be theirs, in the meantime, neither of the boys had anyone to look up to. He felt that he was in their lives for a reason, so he vowed then and there to be a mentor and role model to both brothers. He knew what it was like to grow up without a father, and while he regretted no portion of his childhood, he still wouldn’t wish the same fate on other boys who lived with similar situations. 

At that moment, Henry bounded over to him. “Robin! That was a great game! Did you see all my passes? Did you see my goal?!?”

“I did!” his self-proclaimed mentor assured him proudly. “Well done! With skills like that, you’ll be a champion football player in no time!” Robin strongly suspected that the goal Henry had gotten had been due more to the goalie’s clumsiness than Henry’s actual skill, but he didn’t want to dash Henry’s hopes and wipe that excited grin off of his face.

“Football?” Henry asked, confused, then giggling at Robin’s expense. “But we were playing soccer!”

“I know, but in England, where I’m from- everywhere but here, actually- soccer is called football, because we don’t have the sport that you know as football here,” Robin explained.

“Ohh…” Henry said slowly. Then, more questions began. “Why did they decide to call our football ‘football?’ Players don’t even use their feet most of the time! Who invented football? Who invented your football? How long have you been playing?”

Robin chuckled at the stream of inquiries coming from the boy. “I don’t know the answers to a lot of those questions, but I promise I’ll do my best to find out. All right?”

With Henry’s nod, Robin put an arm around his shoulder and led him over to the boy he was talking to immediately after the game. “I asked Nova for a frisbee before we left,” Robin told Henry as they walked. “Do you want to ask your friend if he wants to play with us?”

“Yeah!” Henry shouted. He hugged Robin, then ran the rest of the way to his friend.

“Well, well, well,” a sneering voice said, interrupting Robin’s thoughts. “Isn’t this picturesque?”

Robin glanced at Henry, using thoughts of him and Roland to try to remain calm as he turned to face Cora Mills. “What do you want, Mrs. Mills?” he asked.

“Oh, merely to inform you that I’ve learned all about your thieving ways from a cousin of yours- Nottingham, I believe. Charming young man. Once Regina learns of your past, she’ll turn from you and come running back to me, especially since I see that now you’ve moved on to kidnapping. Whose son have you taken, Locksley?”

Robin saw red as he seethed. “No one’s, both of his parents aren’t in his life. A fact you would know if you bothered to take an active part in the town that you supposedly run.”

He could see that his words had infuriated Cora, and he stepped instinctively to the side, blocking her view of Henry. 

“How dare you criticize my mayoral duties,” she hissed. “You have no idea what it takes to run a town.”

“You’re right, to an extent I don’t,” Robin admitted, “But my family does, and thanks to them, I’ve picked up a few things over the years, so I know more than you think I do. And I know that mayors who ignore the poverty around them are not fit to run that town because they’re ignoring the people who need them the most.”

“Don’t you dare insult me like that,” Cora seethed. “I’m more powerful than you think. And thanks to that power, soon Regina will be back home with me, where she belongs. I’ve given her more than enough time to calm down, it’s time for her to grow up and come home. And once she is, you won’t be seeing her again, I can promise you that. You may think I don’t take care of this town, but my only daughter is my number-one priority.”

Robin could see a flash of the demon possessing her as she spoke, but due to the fact that they were in a public place, the demon didn’t show itself any further.

“What are you going to do to her?” Robin asked protectively, trying not to show his apprehension at her words.

“Why don’t you ask your cousin Nottingham? He should be with her now.”

Robin’s eyes widened. As Cora laughed, he turned and ran toward Henry, scooping him up and carrying him to the car.

“Where are we going, Robin?” Henry asked, giggling. “It’s not dinnertime yet, so it’s not time to see Regina and Roland. I thought we were playing frisbee?”

Once they were in the car, seatbelts fastened, Robin turned to Henry. Trying not to frighten his young friend, but knowing he needed to be told the truth, all he said was, “Regina and Roland need our help, so we’re going to go join them, all right?”

Henry nodded solemnly. Robin quickly tried calling Regina, to no avail. He sent her a text instead, warning her not to open the door to anyone but him, Henry, and Emma’s family, then sped off to make sure Nottingham didn’t harm the woman he loved.

********

When Regina and Roland arrived, Emma was out of the house and David and Mary Margaret were doing yardwork. 

When Regina explained their plan for the afternoon, Mary Margaret reminded her that they were welcome to anything in the pantry. She seemed almost as captivated by Roland as Regina had been the first time they met, but Roland didn’t seem to warm up to her as much as he had to Regina. He hid behind her legs and clung to her, and she could tell from his face before he hid that going to a new place and meeting new people all at once was too much for him.

She knelt and scooped him up. “It’s okay, Roland, it’s just Mary Margaret. She’s the nice lady who’s letting me stay here.”

Roland slowly raised his head from where it was buried in the crook of her shoulder. “She’s not your mommy, Gina?”

Regina and Mary Margaret exchanged a meaningful glance over Roland’s curls at the child’s innocent question. How would they explain the situation in a way that wouldn’t frighten the boy, but would help him understand? Regina smiled sadly. “Well, she’s sort of my second mommy. My other mommy wasn’t very nice to me, so I live here instead of with her.”

Roland nodded wisely, finally turning to Mary Margaret and giving her a shy smile. “You keep Gina safe, Miss Mary?”

“Yes, pumpkin, I do,” Mary confirmed. “And, if you want, after you help Regina bake cookies, I’ll give you a special treat, okay?” Regina had told her and her husband of the boys’ living situation, and they had agreed to help with the boys as much as they could. 

Roland slowly nodded, still shy until Regina asked if he was ready to bake cookies. He nodded eagerly, asking “Can we make chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter kiss cookies, Gina? Please, please, please?”

Regina laughed. “I see someone has a sweet tooth! We’ll see, it depends on how much time we have after we finish one batch. So which kind do you want to bake first?”  
“CHOCOLATE CHIP!” Roland shouted, jumping up and down exuberantly. 

Regina laughed. “Okay then, chocolate chip it is!”

Baking cookies was an adventure all its own. Flour ended up getting everywhere, including in the chefs’ hair and on their faces. Regina found herself wiping cookie dough off Roland’s nose as the little boy giggled, scooping cookie dough by the handful and putting it on the cookie sheet.

“Roland, sweetie, they need to be a little smaller and more spread out, or we’ll end up with a bunch of connected cookies,” Regina cautioned.

“One big cookie?!? That sounds yummy!” Roland exclaimed, rubbing his little stomach.

Regina chuckled at the boy’s antics, because she had to agree. “It does, doesn’t it? But it’ll be harder to share with Robin and Henry if we only have one giant cookie, right?”

“I guess so,” Roland sighed, obviously bemoaning the fact that he had to share the cookies they had baked.

Regina’s smile was gentle as she considered the child in front of her. She could never resist this boy’s charm. He’d be breaking girls’ hearts in no time. She scooped him up, carefully wiping some flour off his nose. “How about this: one day we can go out for ice cream, just you and me. How does that sound?”

“YES!” he shouted. 

He helped her transfer each baked cookie onto the cooling rack, then they settled on the couch to watch one of her many Disney movies. 

A half hour later, the doorbell rang. Puzzled, Regina turned to Roland, putting her phone, which she had long ago turned on silent, on the table in front of them. “Wait here, while I go see who it is.”

Once she opened the door, she was immediately tempted to shut it again. While she wasn’t normally good at recognizing people, she would remember that pompous expression anywhere- Nottingham stood on the doorstep. While she didn’t share a tumultuous past with him like Robin did, she still didn’t want to have anything to do with him after hearing what his family had done to Robin and his mother, both of whom were among the kindest people she had ever known. 

“What are you doing here, Nottingham?” she asked warily.

“Why, paying a visit to the girl my dear cousin loves, of course,” Nottingham stated. “You really should reconsider my offer, and your mother agrees. Why wouldn’t you want to be with someone she approves of?”

Regina shuddered involuntarily. If her mother approved of Nottingham, that likely meant that he was the last person Regina would have any desire to date. “I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: in your dreams, Nottingham.”

A sinister grin appeared on Nottingham’s face, making Regina’s blood run cold. “I thought you might say that,” he snarled. “I didn’t want to do this the hard way, but you leave me no choice.”

His appearance changed to that of a demon, and Regina was tempted to slap her forehead. Of course Nottingham was possessed by a demon, it made so much sense. The atrocities that Robin’s relatives had committed could only be the work of something inhuman.

She touched her necklace, activating her armor, and as the sword of the Spirit and shield of faith appeared, so did Roland in the doorway that separated the hall from the kitchen. “Gina?”

When he saw the demon, he immediately started crying, and ran over to Regina to hide behind her. 

“Shhh, Roland, it’s ok,” Regina murmured soothingly, trying to calm him as she made sure that the sword’s sharp edges were far away from the small boy. “Can you be a brave boy and go find Miss Mary for me please?” She wanted to get Roland as far from Nottingham as possible, and hopefully his distressed state would alert Mary Margaret to the fact that something was amiss.

He nodded, then ran out to the backyard. Just then, Robin and Henry appeared in the doorway behind Nottingham. Regina held a finger to her lips, trying to look like she was considering Nottingham’s offer so he wouldn’t become aware of their presence.

“You know,” she said. “Maybe I should reconsider. After all, you do have ties to the most powerful families in your country, which means that one day, I might even get to meet the queen.”

The smile that accompanied her words made Regina want to vomit. “Maybe you will. But maybe,” he turned, suddenly grabbing Henry, arm wrapped around his throat. “I should just take this child to your mother instead of you. I’m sure your mother would love him like he was the brother you never had.”

“NO!” Robin and Regina shouted simultaneously.

Regina stepped toward them. “Please, don’t.” she said calmly, trying not to terrify Henry any more than she was sure he already was. “Take me instead.”

Eyes full of agony, Robin pleaded, “Regina, please, don’t do it. We’ll find another way. If I’d known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have left you and Roland on your own. I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t,” Regina whispered, walking over to him to cup his cheek and kiss him softly. “My heart is yours, always and forever. No matter what happens, that will never change.”

He kissed her back fiercely, and she could tell he was trying to pour every ounce of love he had into a single kiss. “I love you, Regina.”

“I love you too,” Regina shouted as suddenly Nottingham let go of Henry, grabbed her instead, and led her back to her mother and the dreaded fate that awaited her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains prompts 177, 113, and prompt 196 for OQ Prompt Party 2019! Thanks to everyone for the reviews, please review this as well, and I’ll do my best to not leave you with this cliffhanger for too long.  
> -Morgan


	16. Chapter 16

Robin held Henry close as they watched Regina and Nottingham walk away, He could tell Regina was struggling not to appear scared or fight Nottingham to get back to them. He was busy holding Henry back, as the younger boy, while clearly frightened, if the tears in his eyes were any indication, had also put on a brave face, something Robin was proud of him for.

Once they had vanished from sight, Mary Margaret and David came in with Roland. “What happened?” David asked, his occupation as a cop helping him keep his voice steady for the boys’ benefit. Despite his calm demeanor, Robin could hear the quiver in David’s voice, and knew that he was maybe just as concerned for Regina as he was.

Robin glanced down at Henry and Roland. Once he saw how frightened both boys were, he looked at Mary Margaret. “Roland, did you and Regina finish baking a batch of cookies?”

“Uh-huh,” the three-year-old nodded.

“Why don’t you, Henry and Miss Mary go eat one of your delicious cookies while I talk to Mr. David? We’ll be in the kitchen in a minute, I promise.”

Roland and Henry nodded, then followed Mary Margaret into the kitchen. Once they were gone, Robin turned to David and explained as much as he could of what had occurred. 

He finished with, “Please, David, we have to get her back. Help me figure out how to save her.”

David placed his hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out. Together.”

********

Regina stared dejectedly out of her bedroom window at the quiet street below. She had been back with her mother for three days, and she was already miserable. 

The primary source of her misery was her inability to drive. She hated it with every fiber of her being. Because of that and the fact that they lived on the outskirts of town, her mother had complete control over where she went, which meant that with the exception of classes, she had not been out of the house since she had sacrificed herself to protect Henry. 

Tears rolled down her cheeks. It wasn’t fair. Why was she the only one without a license, without the freedom that it gave everyone else in the town? Why couldn’t she have been born with 20/20 vision? Why-

Her pity party was interrupted by the sound of something hitting the window that looked out over the side of the house. She glared suspiciously at the window, wondering if a bird had dropped a seed it was carrying. 

There it was again. And again. She walked over to investigate. She looked down and found the source, but couldn’t believe what- or rather, who- she found standing on the grass below.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed as loudly as she dared, frantically glancing over her shoulder to make sure that her mother wasn’t listening at the door. Even before they were dating, she had warned him away from her mother enough that this moment was the closest he had come to being inside. 

“Checking in on you,” Robin whispered back. “I haven’t been able to stand the thought of you being at risk. What’s she been like? Are you all right?”

His words were a soothing balm, such a tender gesture that paired with his voice make it so easy for her to imagine he was in her room with her, holding her close to him. She closed her eyes and sighed, soaking in that feeling before she responded drily, “Well, I’m still here, so if that’s what you mean...”

“It’s not, and you know it,” he replied. He groaned, clearly as frustrated as she. “I wish I could just hold you… Wait.” He looked around, then back up at her as he stepped closer. “Do you trust me?”

“You know I do,” she told him, wondering where his thoughts were headed as she stepped as close to him as she could. 

“Then jump,” he commanded, holding out his arms to catch her.

She opened the window as much as she could, then sat on the windowsill. She looked between herself and Robin, judging the angle she needed to get to him, then pushed herself off of the windowsill.

Vines caught her as she descended, so that she was hovering over Robin’s head. One of them wrapped around her neck, crippling her with fear as her mind filled with images of her mother’s hand on her in the same way a month ago. She heard the door open, and she rapidly shouted for Robin to run.

To her relief and dismay, he did, disappearing down the street just as her mother rounded the side of the house. “What are you doing, Regina?” she asked, her voice sickly sweet, likely for the neighbors’ benefit. Regina didn’t understand who she thought she was fooling though, as her current position should be a clear indication to anyone that all was not well in the Mills household. 

As if she read her mind, the vines that were holding her captive released her and she fell to the ground with a sigh of relief. 

“Get up,” Cora snapped. “We don’t want anyone suspecting anything, now do we?”

Regina shook her head and followed her mother inside, glancing over her shoulder to see a pair of blue eyes looking back at her through the trees. She hoped that Robin and Emma’s family came up with a plan soon, because she didn’t know how much longer she could last.

********

The following week, she was outside at her physical education class shooting arrows at a target. The class focused on many untraditional outdoor sports, but she had no doubt that the archery unit was her favorite. She loved the power it gave her, the sense of independence and faith in her own abilities. 

As she nocked the arrow and pulling back on the string, she felt arms surround her as soft lips kissed the hollow of her neck. She knew only one person would do that and know he could get away with it.

She let the arrow fly, noting that it landed far from the target she was aiming for, before she turned to him, threw her arms around him and kissed him. “What are you doing here?” she asked. After the incident at her house, she had warned him that because she was the mayor, her mother had spies everywhere, so he should stay away from her, even at school. As much as it pained her to say that, she couldn’t bear the thought of him being hurt in any way because of her.

Kissing her cheek, he answered, “Seeing you. It’s been too long, yeah?”

She nodded, nocking another arrow as she looked around at the active class around them. “Of course, but I’m in the middle of a class, Robin! Don’t get in my way.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, backing away from both her and the target. “But I met the professor before when I took swimming last semester,” he said matter-of-factly. “We got along well, so I don’t think he’ll mind if I join you for a little while.”

“If you say so…” Regina said skeptically as her concentration focused on her bow once more.

“So how do you do archery?” Robin asked her as she nocked an arrow.

Her eyebrows went up as she turned to him. “You don’t know how? I thought you had the best education England has to offer, you did have your own tutor and learn Latin, after all.”

“Remember how I disliked you teasing me about being very similar to Robin Hood?”

“Of course,” she answered him, remembering her first day with him in Nottingham, the way she had noted that everything about him was so similar to the life of the legendary hero.

“While I love Robin Hood, I want to be my own person as well. So that was just one thing too may that would make me too much like him, so the moment my mother suggested that I start learning archery, I declined the offer. And I have declined every offer since, and will in the future. Including this one.”

She stood on the tips of her toes to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. “While you know I love Robin Hood, I love you more. You’re so much more than the legendary hero- you have a passion for knowing others and you are constantly helping them be better people and trying to become a better person yourself. Just look at how you interact with Henry and Roland. They look up to you, and seeing you with them makes me love you even more.” 

She meant every word, especially the last portion of her statement. While just spending time with Robin and the two boys was one of her favorite things to do from the first day she met the brothers, watching Robin with Henry and Roland had quickly become one of her favorite pastimes. He had a way of having fun with them while also teaching them about the right way to live that she admired and hoped she practiced with the boys as well. 

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you, milady, I love you.”

“And I love to see my students practicing archery,” Regina’s professor, Mr. Hunter, said as he walked over. “Mr. Locksley, I see you know Miss Mills.”

“You have no idea,” they said simultaneously as they grinned at each other. 

“Well, no matter how well you know her, Mr. Locksley, I suggest you allow her to practice her skill with the bow and arrow, so she gets her full participation grade for the day.”

“Can I teach him how to do it, Mr. Hunter?” Regina asked. “That would really prove my skills; if I can successfully teach someone else, it’ll demonstrate that I’ve learned everything you taught us.”

Mr. Hunter considered her proposal and their hopeful expressions pensively for a moment. “You make a fair point, Miss Mills. Proceed.” He walked away, leaving them alone.

Smiling, Regina turned to Robin, holding the bow in the correct position as she did. “Okay, first thing’s first. You have to know how to hold the bow correctly. Let me show you.”

She held the bow up to her mouth, making sure that her fingers were in the correct position and her elbow at the correct angle. She felt the air shift as he came up behind her, his hands wrapping around hers. She ducked out of the way, leaving him holding the bow. 

She walked around him, making sure that everything was as it should be, paying particular attention to the position of his fingers around the nocked arrow, then leaned in close to his ear and said quietly, “Okay, you’re ready. Now, all you have to do is let it go.” She resisted the sudden impulse to sing the last three words, knowing he would need to be concentrating fully on his aim as he let the arrow fly.

She watched his chest inflate as he inhaled and aimed, then deflate as he exhaled, letting the arrow soar to the waiting target, hitting it precisely in the middle of the target, just as she’d hoped when her hands had fallen away from the bow.

“Perfect!” Regina shouted excitedly, applauding. “Are you sure you haven’t done this before?”

“Positive,” Robin assured her, placing the bow on the ground before he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her into the air. “I guess I just have a great teacher.”  
A blush spread over her cheeks, embarrassing her. “I guarantee you it wasn’t all me. After all, you did the work.”

Robin shook his head. It seemed he was going to refuse to let her win. “I still couldn’t have done it without you. As with everything else, we’re stronger together.”

“Speaking of…” Regina mused, hating to ruin the mood. “What are we going to do?”

She knew she wouldn’t have to clarify; Robin would know exactly what she was talking about.

His response proved her assumption was correct. “I don’t know for sure, but no matter what, we’ll do it together.”

An idea occurred to her, an initiative so bold she immediately shrank away from the thought, pushing it to the furthest corners of her mind. 

Robin noticed, and lifted her chin so that she met his gaze. “What is it? Did you think of an idea that might work?”

Slowly, she nodded.

“Well? What is it?” he asked.

“The only solution I can think of,” she said, her voice still displaying her hesitancy. “Is for all of us to confront her. Together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading and let me know what you think!


	17. Chapter 17

Two days after Robin and Regina hatched the beginnings of their plan to defeat the demon in Cora, they were taking a walk around campus hand in hand, discussing the details of what they wanted to accomplish.

“Robin, I really don’t know if this plan is going to work. My mother’s like a leech, she just keeps attacking us until there’s nothing left- what if she wins? I can’t lose you.” Regina fretted, gripping his hands tighter than usual to emphasize her point.

“It will,” Robin reassured her. “You want to be with me and free your mother, right?”

She nodded, taking a long, drawn-out breath to calm her nerves. “More than anything.”

“Then you need to trust me- we _will_ get through this like we get through everything: together.”

And as Robin’s arms came around her and he started kissing her, Regina’s doubts gradually faded into obscurity as she remembered the strength of the love they shared and the God they believed in.

********

 

Robin and Regina’s plan was put into motion that weekend, once they had had time to fill everyone in.

Regina knew the plan had begun once she heard the doorbell ring on Saturday. She rushed to the top of the steps as Cora answered the door to find Robin, Alice, Archie, Belle, Mulan, Merida, Emma, Killian, Will, and Graham standing outside.

Regina asked them, “Where’s everyone else?”

“They all said they had homework to do,” Emma called up to her. “I’m not entirely sure I believe them though.” Emma prided herself on being able to tell when someone was lying, although Regina had days when she wasn’t sure if she trusted that gift or not.

Sneering, Cora turned to her daughter. “What is this, an ambush? Did you really think you could invite all of your friends here to fight against me? Well, I have some friends of my own.”

Behind her, Regina heard Nottingham ask, “Are we too late, Madam Mayor?” Regina gasped as she recognized Peter, Gold, Zelena, and Sandy standing behind him.

“No,” Cora responded, a sinister smile appearing on her face. “You’re right on time.”

With that, she, Nottingham, and the people that Regina had once considered her friends transformed into their demonic forms, while Regina, Robin and their friends immediately assumed their armor. After that, the battle began in earnest.

Of course, Cora and Nottingham each immediately headed for Regina and Robin, respectively. As she battled her mother, Regina tried to keep tabs on what was happening to the rest of her friends.

It was an uneven battle, as there were less villains than heroes, but that didn’t keep them from making their presence felt. Cora and Nottingham, in particular, were the strongest of the demons, likely because they had had a demon inside them the longest. Regina needed the help of both Belle and Mulan to ward her off. Even then, it seemed that no matter what they did, Cora maintained the upper hand.

As she glanced over at Robin, she noticed that he was faring no better with Nottingham. Will and Graham were fighting the demon with everything they had, but the strength of the demon in Nottingham, enhanced by the ancestral nature of its habitation, was helping him gradually beat down his attackers.

_We have to figure out a way to defeat them once and for all_ , Regina thought desperately. _But how?_

She glanced frantically around her, trying to think of anything in her house that could aid them in their efforts. No physical weapon would be of use against them. She looked down at the sword that was normally her Bible, and as if God had spoken directly to her, a verse came to mind: _Of these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love._

Simply wishing that her mother’s demon would leave her and never bother them again, and hoping that wish would come true, would not help Regina and her friends defeat the demons around them. While trusting God would certainly help them in their efforts to defeat the demons surrounding them and everything else they wanted to accomplish in life, ultimately their faith was not an action they could take that would end the demons’ control of their friends, and in Regina’s and Robin’s cases, their family. Only by loving them would they be able to dispel the darkness consuming the people currently fighting them.

But how to do that? One of Regina’s favorite authors said that love isn’t how you feel, it’s what you do. But what could they do to show their love for the people they needed to rescue? She didn’t know, but she needed to figure it out quickly, before the demons destroyed their hosts from the inside out.

As she blocked another blow from her mother, Regina glanced down at her sword, which shone with the words _greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends_.

In a flash of understanding, she knew what she had to do. She stepped in front of Belle and Mulan, holding her arms out to shield them from her mother. “Mother, don’t harm them- any of them,” she implored. “Call off your allies- your quarrel is with me.”

“So be it,” Cora hissed. With those words, she turned and stalked toward Regina. Instead of looking her in the eye, Regina initially kept her gaze locked on Robin’s face. He was looking at her with eyes full of love, the same love that she hoped that she would be able to show her mother, and by extension, the rest of the demons, most of whom still had her friends somewhere inside them. There was also a small amount of concern- for her safety, she knew- but ultimately, she knew that he trusted that her actions had a valid reason behind them.

She nodded to him gratefully, then refocused her attention on her mother. Slowly, she walked toward her, trying to catch a glimpse of her mother behind the demon’s features. Their height was the same, and she could spot a hint of the same brown eyes that she inherited from her mother within the eyes of the demon that currently possessed her.

As she came to these realizations, her hand grew warm and started to glow, flames licking her fingers. In any other circumstances, this would have made her terrified, but somehow she instinctively knew that these flames were a product of her love for her mother, so she thought of additional things she loved about her.

With each new character trait that she added to the list, the flame in her hand grew warmer, brighter, and larger, until she didn’t understand how she was holding a fireball (there was no other word for it) so large, only that she was, and she knew that given the source, her safety was guaranteed.

Her attention was suddenly drawn to Cora as she screamed, “What is this?!?”

“Love,” Regina responded, a smile on her face as she instinctively threw the fireball at her mother.

As the fireball hit, a shadow flew out of her mother and all of the demons that had chosen the members of ANC as hosts departed from them as well. The bodies of her mother and friends collapsed, and she looked toward Robin and the others in the silence that followed.

“Is it over?” she asked as Robin started walking toward her.

“Not just yet- or have you forgotten me?” Nottingham asked imperiously. Apparently the fireball had had no affect on him, unlike the others.

Robin turned toward his cousin. “Leave, now. We’ve dealt with enough today. Surely even you have enough compassion to leave us alone for now.”

His relative stood, walking toward the door. “As you wish. But mark my words, this won’t be the last you hear from me.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Robin muttered as the front door opened and slammed shut behind Nottingham.

“So what do we do now?” Regina asked, pulling Robin into an embrace. 

He smiled down at her, kissing the top of her head. “Celebrate, of course!”

And they did. They would have the days, weeks and months ahead to worry about Nottingham, but for now, Regina’s mother was free, and that was a blessing they would savor for the rest of their lives, because it meant that they could finally be together. And as far as Regina was concerned, that was the greatest gift of all. 

**The Bible verses used in this chapter are 1 Corinthians 13:13 and John 15:13. The quote is by Madeleine L’Engle, from her book** **_A Wind in the Door._ ** **Hope you enjoyed this, and let me know what you think!!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Bible verses used in this chapter are 1 Corinthians 13:13 and John 15:13. The quote is by Madeleine L’Engle, from her book A Wind in the Door. Hope you enjoyed this, and let me know what you think!!


	18. Epilogue

Robin found Roland and Henry playing a game in a red booth slightly faded with age at Granny’s. “Gentlemen, how would you like to help me go on a little quest?”

“A quest?” they repeated as Roland rose excitedly from the booth. “What’s the quest?”

Robin held his finger to his lips. “Before I tell you what the quest is, you have to promise that you won’t tell Regina. We’re picking out a surprise for her.”

Once they had both been sworn to secrecy, he told them his plan. Henry’s eyes shone. “Finally!” Robin knew that the boy had been waiting for this moment for years.

He chuckled. “Yes, finally. Will you help me?”

“YES!” both boys readily agreed, and Robin explained to Granny that he was taking the brothers before he led them out of the diner and down the street to their destination. Its windows displayed dozens of the small, bright object they had come to purchase, and Robin inwardly groaned. This may be an even more daunting task than he had initially imagined.

Over an hour later, he knew that his initial assessment had been correct. After an hour of a search that was both thorough and fruitless, they were no closer to succeeding in their quest. Nothing seemed exactly right to Robin- every one of the objects before them seemed either too simple for the occasion or too elaborate for Regina’s taste.

Suddenly, he heard Roland breathe, “Ooh, shiny…” behind him. He turned and looked at the one Roland was pointing at. It was perfect. Small, yet brilliant in its perfection. Unique, just like the woman he loved. 

He sighed with relief, features that had been taut with worry relaxing. “Roland, you did it!” he congratulated the boy. Purchase made, they exited the store. Now all Robin had to do was plan how to give his gift to her. Everything had to be perfect.

********

Regina was excited, but that would be no surprise to anyone who knew her. Robin had told her that he had a day full of surprises planned for her, and she had begged him for details, but he had remained tight-lipped on the subject. All he had told her was to prepare for anything, so given that the weather had finally warmed up enough to go to the beach (and more importantly, swim in the ocean), Regina had planned accordingly. She was wearing a bathing suit underneath a nicer outfit than she would typically wear to the beach, and had packed a towel and sunscreen, along with water, snacks and tennis shoes in case he had planned a longer, more active outing for them. She also had things with her that would enable her to shower, and a dress just in case the night would be fancier than she imagined. She doubted that would be the case, though. Like her, Robin was a very casual person, so the likelihood that she would need to dress up at any point in the day was slim.

She called out a farewell to Alice as she walked out the door, and thought about how different this day would’ve been if it had happened three years ago. She would still be living with her mother, for starters. She still couldn’t believe the changes that had transpired in Cora in the three years since they had expelled the demon from her. She was much less prone to anger, significantly less controlling, and had allowed Regina the freedom to move in with Alice, a blessing that she was thankful for every day.

She grinned as she spotted Robin’s car in front of her. Judging by his attire, she had been right in the selection of her attire that morning. He, too, was dressed in clothes that were casual enough that she suspected that her guess was right: they were likely going to the beach.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he greeted her as she swung her bag into the car before her. “Ready to go?”

She nodded excitedly, kissing his cheek before he pulled away to put both hands on the wheel and start driving.

“Where are we going?” she asked as they pulled out of the apartment complex’s parking lot.

“You’ll see,” Robin teased with a mischievous grin that only grew wider when Regina smacked him playfully on the arm. “What? Can’t I surprise you without you trying to pry the details out of me with every passing minute?”

“At this point, you might as well tell me,” she huffed.

“Not a chance,” he replied, his grin continuing long after the conversation faded.

Eventually, she started recognizing landmarks, and it took everything in her not to let her inner child out, her excitement nearly too great to be contained. “I was right, we’re going to the beach!” she exclaimed.

“Yes, we are,” Robin laughed. “Now can you let me drive without jumping out of the car to get to the ocean faster?”

“Can you blame me?” Regina asked him, her impatience giving her voice an edge she knew Robin didn’t deserve. “This is the first day it’s been nice enough to go all year!”

“I know, which is why this is part of the plan for the day,” Robin chuckled, his eyes twinkling.

“Part?” Regina questioned.

“Yes, there’s a part two to our day that will commence tonight- you’ll just have to wait and see what I have planned for us,” Robin replied, his eyes twinkling as he parked and got out of the car, ready to begin their day together.

Their day was spent playing in the sun, sand between their toes and droplets of water covering their skin. Though both had vastly different ideas of the perfect beach day- when the weather was at its warmest, Robin preferred to walk on the boardwalk or collect seashells, while Regina’s ideal day would forever be spent in the water- they managed to find the best of both worlds before night fell.

********

Robin’s family was on holiday- or, as the Americans called it, on vacation- this week due to their graduation a few days before, so Robin had planned for them to get ready for their evening plans at the beach condo where they were staying.

He emerged dressed in khaki shorts and a blue shirt that he knew Regina would love.

“Nervous?” his mum asked as she walked up behind him.

He nodded. “What if-“

“Don’t worry, Robin, everything will be fine,” his mother said, hugging him. “Just take a deep breath.”

He did as she instructed, but his worries still lingered. “That didn’t help. What am I going to do if I lose her? I can’t risk that, she’s everything to me.”

“You won’t,” she replied. “If you don’t want your surprise to be ruined, you may want to stop talking. Here she is.”

Sure enough, Regina was standing in the doorway. Her eyes grew wide with admiration when she entered the room, but Robin was sure her reaction was nothing compared to his at the sight of her.

His breath caught in his throat. She was wearing a red dress that fell just past her knees that shimmered when she moved. Her hair fell down her back, part of it held back by a barrette in the shape of a red flower- which type, he would never know. He silently thanked Alice, who, being informed of Robin’s plans for the evening, had likely guided Regina’s clothing choices for the second portion of their day together.

When she reached him, he kissed her, a kiss that was gentle, but no less passionate than a kiss borne of raw desire. He hoped that his kiss conveyed every message he intended to relay verbally later in the evening: that he loved her and would always be there for her.

When they parted, their foreheads touching, his mother, who stood behind him, cleared her throat.

Regina’s cheeks flushed adorably with embarrassment as she pulled away from him. She glanced over at his mother, apologizing profusely.

But true to form, his mother waved her off. “You’re in love. It’s only natural that you’d greet him that way, especially with how well-dressed you both are tonight.”

“Yeah, where are we going that justifies you being so dressed up?” Regina inquired, turning toward him with a quizzical brow raised.

He grinned, loving every moment of keeping her in the dark. “You’ll see.”

When they arrived at their destination a few minutes later, she squealed with excitement. She turned to him a minute later, a frown marring her beautiful features. ‘Are you sure? It’s so expensive, and we have Disney coming up…”

“Positive,” he replied, unable to keep the smile off of his face. Little did she know what he had in store for her later that evening- the cost of their meal would be nothing in comparison to that.

They walked hand in hand to the hostess stand, where he told the hostess his name and that he had made a reservation.

“Of course, right this way Mr. Locksley,” she said, leading them to a table right on the restaurant’s sandy beach which overlooked the bay. Strands of lights crossed over their heads, while lanterns lit each table. Children ran along the shore, while adults sat back to watch, margaritas and daiquiris in hand.

“Are you ready to tell me why our plans today were a surprise yet?” Regina asked as their waiter took their menus away.

“After dinner,” he informed her, and as he knew she would, she pouted. “Relax, it’ll be worth it, I promise.”

His words seemed to mollify her, and they ate their dinner talking of their adventures that day. As they talked, he ran through what he was going to say later in his head. Everything about the night needed to be perfect, flawless. _Especially_ what he said.

Once they had paid the check, Robin led Regina back to the car. “Where to now? Are you going to tell me?” she asked.

He chuckled. “You’ll see. You trust me, right?”

He could practically see the memories of battles fought together flash in her mind just before she answered softly, “Always.”

They pulled up to the lot that would lead them to their destination, and Regina turned to him. “The beach? But we were just here- and I’ve already showered, and more importantly, it’s never safe to swim at sunset.”

“I have something a little different planned this time,” he promised. “Come on.”

They walked a path they had walked many times before, down to the water and along the shoreline as they walked toward the rocky area where they had had many conversations over the years. The sun set over the water as they walked, reds, blues, pinks, and oranges illuminating the sky in a dazzling rainbow Robin knew he would never be able to adequately capture in a photograph.

When they reached their destination, Robin turned to the brunette beauty beside him, heart hammering in his chest knowing what he was about to do. He took the hand he hadn’t already been holding in his, and their fingers intertwined of their own accord. “Do you remember what happened here a few years ago, on the day we met?” he asked her.

Her smile was as radiant as the sun. “Of course- that night, and especially that conversation, changed my life forever.”

He inwardly cheered- that was exactly what he was hoping she’d say. “Mine too, because that was the day I met you. Because of that, I thought that this was the perfect location for another life-altering event.”

“What are you-“ her head, which had been bent toward their joined hands, shot up sharply, and the remainder of the sentence seemed to die in her throat, a smile slowly spreading on her face as he knelt on the sand before her.   

“Robin? What’s going on?” she breathed.

He swallowed hard, then began the speech he had rehearsed over and over- he only hoped that it was good enough. “From the moment we met, I knew that I wanted to know more about the stunningly beautiful girl that Will and I accidentally collided with the first day of orientation. But it wasn’t until our conversation that night, in this spot, that the connection that I felt between us solidified, and it’s only grown stronger with each passing day. I love you, Regina, you have the most resilient heart of anyone I’ve ever met, which is one of the many wonderful things about you that makes you far more beautiful than you can ever imagine.” He fumbled in his pocket, extracting the little black box that he had had there all night and opened it to reveal the ring he had chosen for her. It was simple, yet elegant, silver with a lone aquamarine gem instead of the traditional diamond. Despite its simplicity, as Roland had pointed out when they first saw it in the store, it seemed to shine with its own light. “You’re stunning, in every way, and I promise to love you forever- will you marry me?”

She had started smiling the second he started speaking. With his last words, she was nodding, and he stood as he slid the ring on her finger and pulled her into an embrace.

She kissed him more passionately than she had ever kissed him before, and his joy was overflowing so much that he couldn’t resist lifting her and spinning them in a circle. When he set her back on the sand, she asked, “What now?”

“Now, we start the rest of our lives together,” Robin told her, grinning as he led her to celebrate with their family and friends. No matter what happened in the days to come, he was thankful that he would have his Regina beside him through it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes this story!! Thank you all for reading this and for your support throughout this story- and thanks to hopefulfeathers for betaing this for me!!


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